Demon's Tail
by Fairytale Warrior
Summary: Living the life of a demon comes with a lot of banes and boons, but it can be pretty handy when you have some extra features. Rated Teen because I'll probably curse a lot and there will be mentions of gore. *Don't be fooled; lots of angst, /plenty/ of whump, as well as humor and friendship/family. :)
1. koNEKOmaru

**Yello~**

**Just need to say that this is taking place AFTER the incident in Kyoto and everyone has gotten over the fact that Rin's Satan's son and all that. Because that's how I want it… (and this was published before their forgiveness.) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao No Exorcist.**

koNEKOmaru:

Everyone knew that Konekomaru had this thing for cats. Whenever he saw one on the street he'd stop and pull out a cat toy, laughing as he played with the animal until Bon or Shima told him to hurry up. In which he'd have to reluctantly say goodbye to his feline friend, stuff the cat toy back in his bag, and jog over to his friends. Sometimes a cat would watch him go with its tail standing stock straight and a longing look in its eye before taking off. It was in such situations where the bald monk would hesitate briefly to marvel at the wide eyes, flicking ears, and most of all, the long tail.

Konekomaru always loved how a cat's tail could convey its emotions; it was so much easier to read than a regular human being's facial features.

Recently he had met Rin's cat sith, Kuro, in his stay at what Bon deemed to be a haunted hotel but was really the Okumura twins' dorms. It was the same place where they had taken the exwire exam and he couldn't help but feel a tad bit nervous whenever he walked past the room where they had all been attacked. The door had already been replaced but bits of wood were still scattered over the floor. Konekomaru figured that Rin had managed to defeat the demon who he'd lured away with his flames that night (remembering how the boy had been reluctant to tell his friends just how he'd defeated the monstrous being).

He'd lured it away to protect them, putting his life on the line just as he had done a few days ago. Only this time Rin paid the price.

Two broken ribs, a ruptured lung, a hunk of flesh ripped from his left side, three silver-bullet wounds: one on his right arm and two in his shoulder. Even worse, Rin had overused his flames during his fight with the King of Decay and now had barely enough to heal himself with. Bon was furious, raging over the other's reckless abandon like a screeching and steaming kettle. His temper was suddenly quenched, however, when Yukio had told them with a straight, completely stoic expression that his elder brother had developed a fever and since his immune system had lost its flame there was a decent chance of Rin not making it. In that moment Konekomaru had never before regretted ever hating a person so much. He'd called Rin a monster, openly feared him and despised everything the blue haired demon was. The pain swirling in the sapphire depths that were Rin's eyes had been blatantly clear to the bald monk but he refused to acknowledge the so human reaction.

What was worse- if that was even possible at this point- was the hospital could not take Rin in as it was too full. There was simply no room in the large expanse that was True Cross Academy's resident medical center. They were completely filled with the casualties in Kyoto, something that Rin probably would feel to be his own fault as much as Bon did.

Quietly, Konekomaru tip-toed into the Okumura brother's room and the sound of a rhythmic heart monitor reached his large ears. Yukio hadn't wanted to put his elder brother into a different room, wishing to be nearby in case something happened. Currently Yukio was downstairs preparing a special IV with the other resident demon, Ukobach. Konekomaru still had intentions of asking the Okumura brothers about the odd demon and it's strange quirks for cooking but pushed that aside for later.

Taking a seat next to Rin he observed the struggling appearance of a teen who was fighting an intense number of wounds on a low immune system. Sweat fell down the elder Okumura's furrowed brow, crawling across his feverish blush. A breathing mask fed the pale youth much needed oxygen and bandages wrapped white arms around his bare torso. Not for the first time guilt tore through Konekomaru's heart and he found distraction in Rin's limp tail.

It was a beautiful dark blue-black that he had never seen in any of the cats he'd ever encountered. Not that he was comparing Rin to the felines he loved so much, of course. At the end of the long appendage dangled a tuft of silky-soft fur. Konekomaru recognized this point as the place where the blue-eyed teen's bright flames emanated from and curiosity gripped him. Placing a hesitant finger underneath the ball of fur he felt it twitch slightly and found himself admiring how sensitive Rin's tail was.

Gently he brought the appendage onto the bed and laid it down carefully. A strange ripple passed through it, however, when he slipped his finger out from under the beautiful tail. Wonderment speared through his eyes and traced a finger from the angel soft tip down to where it met the darker blue stalk. Due to his intense concentration on the mysterious cat-like limb Konekomaru missed the shudder that passed through the probably-older-teen. Rin's tail was so much like that of an everyday feline that one may find playing the part of a pet or wandering the streets of Tokyo. When the monk stroked the fur against its natural growth Rin let out an uncomfortable growl that whispered faintly past his lips and if Konekomaru's ears were any smaller he may not have heard it at all.

Needless to say he immediately found the direction of the tail's natural growth a second after. Running soft hands along it over and over he was slightly surprised when he received a barely audible purr. The surprise on his face turned into a soft smile full of dripping guilt and he stopped stroking Rin's tail to look at his face.

"I really am horrible, aren't I?" he murmured more so to himself than to Rin. "I came here to apologize to you for being such a coward and saying all those horrible things to you but I can't even do that much," the aria-in-training lowered his head in shame.

"No need," whispered a ragged voice, coarse from disuse. Konekomaru jumped and looked over to Rin who must have woken at the sound of his voice. There was weary understanding in those twin, blue pools of light but Konekomaru could not seem to get the startled look off his face at being caught red handed. At doing what even he wasn't quite sure but he felt as if he was a kid stealing from the cookie jar and his mother had found him in the middle of it.

"Don't apologize, did nothin' wrong," Rin rasped and Konekomaru could tell the words were hurting his friend.

"…Ok Okumura-san, thank you," Konekomaru bowed his head a little and then said, "You should rest, Okumura-san. Please, so you can get better."_ You look like you're going to die any second- _with a quick shake of his head the bald boy dislodged any further thought than that.

Rin seemed to hear the unspoken words and managed a soft chuckle. "Same to you…" He wanted to tell the boy sitting at his side how ridiculous he looked with those big ears and matching blue-purple rings beneath his tired eyes but he found darkness licking at the corners of his vision and was consumed before he could say anything further.

Konekomaru stayed by his friend's side for a moment and it wasn't until Kuro moved from his curled position in the crook of Rin's arm to nudge his hand that he got up. As he left the room with quiet footsteps he recalled the second reason why he loved cats so much;

No matter what, they were always there to loyally wait for you.

To curl up on your lap.

To make you feel better.

Always.

***whistles* soooo, yeaaaah. I had no idea where I was going with this so I guess you could call it something of a sketch. **

**I am free to answer any questions. If you have any requests or ideas I am open to them. But please refrain from overloading me ^ ^; I have my own pile of ideas that I haven't actually gotten around to writing down. Anything you have that is based on Rin's tail and its awesome quirkiness (btw I will not, under ANY circumstances use it for anything perverted. It's a TAIL not a **** so get over yourself) then feel free to tell me. Next chapter I plan on explaining more about what I think a demon's tail is for in a class with Shura as the teacher. **

**Now remember: Critiques are valuable. Flames are hilarious.**


	2. Recovery

**Hokay~ For those of you who are new to the story this chapter wasn't originally here. It sounded like fun to create this and I needed at least SOME connection between this chappy and the next…. Right?**

**Blah = Kuro speaking**

**Disclaimer: …Hey Rin-! Oh yeah, your unconscious. Damn. I don't own Ao No Exorcist. **

Everything hurt. That's all Rin could say about the throbbing that coursed through his body. He hadn't told Yukio that the pain killers had worn off because of his selfish desire to let the boy do his work. _He has enough work to do,_ Rin reasoned with himself and a sharp bolt of pain traveled up his side. _It's just a couple of scratches! Nothing to cause a fuss over!_ The elder of the twins had also failed to inform his younger brother that the pain killers only lasted for about 2 hours before wearing down. They were supposed to last for at least 6 which meant that Rin had to deal with agony piercing his frame for somewhere around 8 hours of the day.

He barely suppressed a groan when the bullet wounds in his shoulder sent a screaming sting to his brain, nerves alerting him to just how much pain he was currently in. A soft pressure landed next to his left arm, Kuro's weight pulling the sheets down a little.

"**Rin, how is your fever?"** the cat asked through thought.

"_Better, it seems to have gone down a little,_" Rin responded with his own telepathy. He had figured out how to talk to the cat without actually saying anything, connecting their minds so they may have a free conversation during the long hours where Rin was kept awake by the pain but could not say anything properly coherent because of the mask on his face. Honestly, how had Konekomaru even understood half of what he'd said at all?

A wet nose met his forehead as Kuro checked the teen's fever in the only appropriate way he could. Sure placing a paw on Rin's head might do the trick too but the risk of infecting Rin with another fever was too great.

"**You feel okay. How's the pain-?"** Kuro, knowing the Rin would probably lie and tell him that it was fine looked over to his tail without even waiting for the blue-haired teen to respond.

"_If you just going to ignore me in the first place why did you ask_?" Rin thought grumpily. Kuro just continued to ignore him. A frown came over the cat's features, as much as a frown could anyway, when he saw how Rin's tail was curled into itself. That either meant he was surprised or in fierce discomfort. The latter was confirmed almost instantly when Rin physically winced as another shot of pain rocketed through his chest, causing his tail to curl in further. Kuro was almost tempted to bite Rin for lying to Yukio like he was. But Rin kept assuring him that the pain killers, while nice, made it hard to focus on what needed to be healed because of how numb he got.

"_It's not as bad as it looks…_" Rin thought when Kuro whirled on him. He was so glad that he didn't have a heart monitor because he was sure his heart skipped a frantic beat at the sight of his familiar. It wasn't that Rin was afraid that Kuro would hurt him, oh no not at all. He was afraid that the black cat would run down to tell Ukobach who would then find a way to tell Yukio by giving him extra pain killers each time the younger Okumura would go downstairs to fetch them.

"**We'll see how bad it is when Yukio comes in to check today,"** the Black feline hissed.

"_Eh?" _

"**Today's the day where he changes your bandages and cleans your wounds again."** Rin had completely forgotten about that. Every couple of days Yukio would come in with a bag full of bandages, some cotton balls and all assortments of other medical mumbo jumbo that Rin couldn't bring himself to fully understand. Almost as if Kuro's words called him Yukio entered the room with the usual bag of medical instruments swinging at his side.

At the sight Rin actually groaned, lifting his uninjured arm to his face he felt his tail flip back and forth in clear indignation at the thought of what would be coming next.

"Sorry, Nii-san, but I have to clean your wounds," Yukio said with a sympathetic smile on his face, grabbing a chair nearby and setting the supplies down. Rin carefully sat up holding in a gasp as he stretched his side a bit too much. Kuro, of course, noticed the curling of his tail and gave his back a gentle head butt. Other than this Rin managed to sit up without incident and his brother nodded confidently. Yukio leaned over and began to carefully remove the swath of bandages that covered his brother's chest. Rin let his eyes close and his head lower a little as he breathed normally. His flames had been steadily returning over the passing of time and already both ribs had snapped back into place making breathing for him a thousand times easier. Rin's immune system also seemed to have regained its strength and was fighting the unwelcome disease in its master's body well.

Yukio seemed to hesitate when he pulled away the bandages from his brother's shoulder; revealing the tender skin where silver had managed to pull itself through. It seemed as though Rin's body was still reacting even though the holes had already healed over, the irritated red color that his brother's skin let off was enough of a reason to worry.

"Does your shoulder still hurt, Nii-san?" Yukio asked calmly as he continued removing the bandages.

"Not so much, just kinda stings sometimes," that much was at the very least true and Rin felt a part of his conscious lift at being able to tell the truth. There was the sound of scissors sniping as Yukio cut off the gauze before he could reach his brothers side. Aside from the elder's lung his side was the worst wound and the cause of severe blood loss. Yukio had scrambled to stop the bleeding but in the end Rin's flames had burst out to weave the skin back together. However they had gone out before the process could be completed, thus his weak immune system thereafter. The black-haired exorcist had been forced the stitch the remaining four and half inch long gash closed and was glad that it had not gotten infected. After all it had been practically coated in a blanket of miasma. Yukio guessed that miasma had little to no effect on his brother and was extremely glad.

Rin winced when his younger brother applied a disinfectant to the wound on his shoulder. It was probably a useless move but with his twin anything was possible so it was better to be safe than sorry. Finishing up with his shoulder he asked the elder to turn around so he could better reach his arm. Doing so with only a small grunt and curling of the tail Rin did just as he was told and then held his arm still as Yukio got to work. A satisfied smile broke over his face when he saw that Rin's arm was fully healed and a relieved sigh whispered past his lips.

"Ohhhh!" The teen yelped happily, noting the lack of pain and missing bullet wound with a wagging tail. Momentarily forgetting his arm was connected to the still tender wounds on his shoulder Rin attempted to rotate it. "Ow!" excitement turned to pain as he was reminded harshly.

"Nii-san…" Yukio's voice was more reprimanding than worried and laughter twinkled in his eyes. After a brief examination of the appendage Yukio deemed it okay to leave uncovered and then moved to Rin's side once more. Since this process was usually so much more delicate he left it for last- or next to last since there was still Rin's lung. With expert hands Yukio gently, very gently peeled the white gauze from his elder brother's skin. The blue haired teenager sucked in a breath as he felt pain rocket up his ride like a lightning bolt of fire. Pale hands stopped unraveling to give him a chance to catch his breath and when Rin finally did he felt Kuro's fur rub up against his uninjured side.

"Sorry," he said to his younger brother who scowled at the stupid apology but said nothing. With a grimace, Yukio continued to pull off the bandages until finally they had all been removed. Dry blood caked his twin's side and he winced. Grabbing a cotton ball he covered it in a disinfectant.

"I'm going to wash it," he warned the elder, who only nodded. Kuro gently rubbed his horns on Rin's side in an attempt to give comfort and the simple gesture made Rin feel a little better. Pain then seared through his entire frame and it didn't matter how careful Yukio was being. Violent thoughts of hurting his younger brother filled his head for a minute before he wiped them all away by biting the inside of his cheek.

_Yukio,_ he thought desperately, _hurry up_. It seemed that he had forgotten all about how his connection to Kuro still remained and thus the cat could hear his thoughts loud and clear. Hear the desperation in them and immediately understand what would happen if Yukio did not hasten. Rin could distantly hear the cat let out a loud, warning meow to his younger brother and even though it was probably only seconds later it felt like ages until he actually stopped. Leaning back on the arm that was attached to his good shoulder Rin panted a little. He wished with all he had that he could just hurry up and _heal_ so he could rejoin his friends and so people would stop looking at him with such pity dripping from their faces.

So his brother wouldn't have to worry. It took him a moment to realize that Yukio had already begun to re-wrap the bandages and by the time he did notice his twin had already made it up halfway. Stopping just before he reached his elder brothers rib cage, Yukio pressed down the end of the gauze and it stuck to itself.

Time for lung exorcises. Man, Rin really hated this part. A cold hand was placed on his chest and Rin felt his breath hitch a little, enough to be noticeable but not enough to cause a coughing fit. Hopefully he wouldn't cough up blood this time.

"Your hand is freezing!" Rin sputtered looking at his brother. Glad that the reaction his brother had was not because of a broken rib he had somehow been keeping hidden (adding onto the two Yukio thought were still broken) he began to ask his brother for the tell-tale signs of a ruptured lung worsening.

"Nii-san, are you experiencing any back pain?"

Rin shook his head, "no."

"Do you feel faint?"

Rin felt like showily swooning and falling back onto his bed dramatically but he knew that now was not the time for jokes. "No," he said simply.

"Does it still hurt to breathe?" Yukio did not like the hesitation his brother had before speaking.

"….no."

"Tell me the truth, Nii-san." Rin seemed to scramble for an excuse a moment before finally giving in.

"Yes. But only when I breathe deeply!" he tried upon seeing the frown on his brother's face. Any comfort Yukio may have taken in those words immediately evaporated when his brother lurched forward and began to cough. Breathing would cause a sharp pain to rack Rin's entire frame. Coughing not only made that sensation a million times worse but always made his lung feel like it was literally on fire. Once Rin's coughing fit had passed his younger brother offered him a cup of water and he vaguely felt a hand shift from rubbing his back reassuringly to his chest. Yukio said nothing and gently applied pressure over one of Rin's 'broken' ribs. Surprise flitted over his face when the realization struck that his ribs were just fine. His hand moved to the other rib and he smiled inside when he found that that too had healed.

He's starting heal like he's always had, quickly he thought, and then; I'm so glad. But there's still his lung and judging from Nii-san's breathing right now it hasn't really improved that much. Rin's breath came out somewhere between calm and rushed. Fast enough to cause worry but slow enough to not need a breathing mask. However right now it was teetering dangerously to needing the assistance of a breathing machine.

"I want you to keep resting for now," Yukio said, leaning back.

"What about my shoulder? Aren't you gunna cover that?" Rin asked, trying to keep the wheeze out of his voice but failing rather miserably.

"…No, I think that since the wound is already closed. All it needs is some air. Perhaps it will be able to heal faster that way too," Yukio replied. "I'll bring Ukobach's dinner up in an hour," the black-haired exorcist pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose and added, "If you haven't rested in that time then I'm going to knock you out." The light glinted off his glasses, keeping them out of Rin's view. Rin, who immediately lay back down and got to work on trying to sleep, wincing as he did so. "I'm also going to give you more pain killers," he said, walking out the door so Rin didn't have the time to say anything.

"**Told you,"** Kuro said, curling up in the space between his master's shoulder and ear. With that thought the lights were flicked off and Rin was left in the dark, silently fuming at his brothers good observation skills.

* * *

><p><strong>I had to look up a bit of information just to make sure that the symptoms were correct. Did you know that when someone has a ruptured lung and things are getting worse their heart beats over 120 times in a minute? <strong>

**In anycase, I gotta go to bed soon so tata for now~**


	3. Lesson Learned

**Ever wondered what would happen if you sneaked up behind Rin? Well don't because you're an insane little creeper whose going to get really, really hurt if you do.**

**Disclaimer: Am I srsly going to need to say this each and every time I post a new chappy?**

Lesson Learned:

All eyes in the room were turned towards the new teacher, Shura Kirigakure as she pointed to a diagram on the black chalkboard.

"This 'ere is a demons tail," she drawled, looking the class over and immediately noticing that Rin had fallen asleep. Resisting the urge to sigh and then smack him over the head with a large encyclopedia she continued. "As some of yew may already know, this 'ere is its number one weakness," Bon seemed to jolt up a bit more and he snapped his head around to look at the exhausted Rin. He must have been recalling the time when they had still been in Kyoto and she had activated the bind on Rin's tail because he started to scowl.

Ignoring this Shura cleared her throat and spoke; "Yew may find that many lower class demons have one, such as Hobbgoblins. An' 'cause a demon's tail is its weakest point yew may chop off a Hobbgoblin's tail and it will die within a few minutes," at this there was a picture of a withering Hobbgoblin on the chalkboard. "However, if ya try to do that to a middle-upper-class demon the only thing yar gunna get is a broken skull as most of their tails are for crushing only and therefore have thick, armor plating around 'em." On the chalk board was another image of a tail directly below the diagram of the goblin. Contrary to the small, thin one, this appendage-of-death was wrapped thickly with a form of strong muscle and gray armor. It almost looked like something a dinosaur or a dragon would be waving around.

"While the size and shape of the tail may change the fact remains that it's still a weakness. If yew were to somehow pull or squeeze this you'd likely cause great uncomfortableness."

'_uncomfortableness'?_ Bon thought with a scowl, _that's not even a word!_

Glaring right back Shura walked over to her desk and leaned down on her elbows with her breasts bouncing seductively. "Lobbing off a tail from one o' these guys will likely just put 'em out for a bit and send them back to Gehenna for a while. But so far none of 'em have died from it. Now, this is where it gets a bit nasty," she began, "If yew were going to touch a high-class demon's tail yew'll more or less get to be torn to pieces. If yew ever come into contact with a big wig like Amaimon or Asteroth," Rin's tail thumped across the table behind him irritably at the sound of those hated names and Sheimi looked at him worriedly, "yew ain't gunna aim for nothin'. Yar gunna run for the heavens 'cause nothin' yew can do right now's gunna help yew anyway," At this she glared at the three Arias-in-training pointedly.

"No one knows what happens if you rip off the tail of one of these guys 'cause no one has ever touched any of their tails and lived since they each some kind of bizarre defense. In fact, all Eight Sub-Kings of the underworld have a defense for their tail. One shoots needles at you, another spits out corrosive acid. Not all are known however because there's the occasional demon that has not shown his or her tail to anyone so be alert and don't stick around to find out if you ever encounter any."

Reaching for something under her desk, Shura lifted two black blocks up. Flicking her fiery hair over her shoulder she jabbed a thumb down at them. "These blocks are made of Orion. Can anyone tell me what kind of metal that is?" Izumo raised her hand, "Kamiki, go for it."

Lowering her hand, Izumo stood and said with confidence ringing in her voice; "Orion is a black demon repelling metal used in certain types of bullets for Dragoon type meisters. It's one of earth's strongest substances and cases where it's been broken are rare if not fairy tales."

"Good, yew've been doin' yar research," Kamiki smirked and sat down. "But, about that 'rare, if not fairy tales' bit… If yew really believe that then get out yar notebook and prepare to write down some history here." Shura lifted the two blocks and made her way over the still sleeping Rin. "If you could move behind me Moriyama, that'd be great," confusion and worry dripped from the blonde's face as she walked over to her teacher who was pushing away the desk behind Rin. Shima looked nervous and Konekomaru shared a similar expression while Bon looked like he wanted to get up and storm over. To demand Shura tell him what she was going to do to the just-recovered-from-death-Rin but managed to keep himself under control.

"Um, Kirigakure-sempai what do you plan on doing?" Sheimi asked quietly, as if she was concerned she'd wake the sleeping exorcist before her.

Shura ignored the ditzy girl and tied up her long hair into a bun as she continued; "It's more than rare for a demon to have several defenses on its tail as they normally have need for only one. It has yet to be recorded that one has several…" she trailed off, bending down a few feet away from Rin's twitching tail with a vixen smirk brightening her face. _That little myth is about to become not so mythical_. Putting out a foot to brace herself she shoved her left fist close enough to the blue-black appendage to get a reaction.

And boy, what a reaction it was. Rin's tail started before it shot towards the 'threat', leaving a ghost image in its place. The others didn't even know that it was gone until it smashed into the blocks Shura held up in front of her hand. There was a loud cracking sound and the long appendage tore right through the 'unbreakable' metal. Shards of it flew through the air and time seemed to slow down as Rin's eyes snapped open. Upon waking up to such noise his groggy brain registered it as danger and blue fire shot through his body. The tip of his tail snapped, enlarging to three times its original size. What was left of the Orion caught on fire a second after, melting and then evaporating within milliseconds.

When the smoke finally cleared there were pieces of black metal sticking out of the walls, piles of broken Orion shattered over the floor, and a strange smell of something burnt in the air.

"…Hah?" Rin asked, sitting up and blinking in confusion as the flames disappeared. Seeing his teacher standing behind him with her hands stuffed in her pockets (trying to hide the slightly singed palm from the emotional teen) he almost instantly knew what happened. Slowly lowering his head back into his arms he groaned, "I would _greatly _appreciate it if you stopped using me as your damn visual representation!" He slammed a palm on the table and whirled around to face her.

This time Shura did not hold back and slapped the boy upside the head with her own furious retort just as the class bell rang out through the room.

"_Then stop falling asleep in my classes!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Oh boy, this means that Rin's friends are gunna be pissing themselves whenever they stand behind him.<strong>

…**should do something for Rin next chappy that gives him back their trust. **

**AAANYWAY! I hope this made for a nice read and I thank those who gave me such wonderful reviews ****PeachTeaKT****, Prieva, and Manna Kallat~ Free cookies for you XD**

**EDIT: Thank you symbion for the help with Shura's and Shiemi's naaaammeees~**

**EDIT AGAIN: Thank you **Kikwoka** for pointing out that i was saying Kyota and not Kyoto! XD**


	4. Face of Innocence

**Lol, I really do have far too much time on my hands XD Well it is summer vaca so I guess it makes sense! But yeeeaaahh, there isn't gunna be a specific time and day for my updates, they're just gunna happen….spontaneously :P sorry 'bout that. **

**Luversblues: yup~ I may squeeze something in between chappy 1 and 2 because it bothers me too. (would that count as a rhyme? XD) maybe while Rin's recovering I'll have him playing with Blacky or something. ….Yeah I'll just do that now, it sounds like fun XD**

**Disclaimer: *groans* I don't own Ao No/Blue Exorcist. **

Face of Innocence:

_What kind of _mission_ is this anyway? _Bon thought irritably as he pulled a long string of some kind of transparent snot from out of the water. All along the 'yummy' stream were misty white bubbles, said to contain some kind of special ointment. The class had all been given a special task of gathering this crap up for the Biology of Demons Research Institute (BDRI), a name that had caused a mysterious shudder to pass through the elder Okumura. Or, Bon supposed, not so mysterious anymore considering the fact that he knew full well of just what Rin really was. A couple feet away from him Konekomaru was telling Rin about the demon that this ointment came from and how it was extracted. Shima laughed at the disgusted face that the blue haired exorcist made when Konekomaru got to explaining how the demon had the ability to change its gender and he could have sworn he heard Izumo make a sound of similar disgust a few feet away. The strange boy with a sock puppet on his hand was silently dumping strings of the stuff into the bucket and Bon was at the very least thankful that he was actual doing something this time. On the shore Moriyama was pulling away the white bulbs from the transparent streams of mucus with an expert touch while Yukio was talking to the manager of the hotel they were all staying at.

Growling Bon tossed the shit in his hand into the bucket on the shore and stood up to stretch his back. Just as he did so Yukio turned away from the plump woman and her rambunctious kid to call over his elder brother. Rin seemed a tad bit relieved at being called away from Konekomaru's rambles about interspecies relationships and Bon chose this moment ripe to jeer at him.

"Looks like you got your choices, huh Rin?" he laughed. In his surprise Rin tripped over his own feet, falling face first into the clear water. The teen took a surprised gasp just as his head slipped beneath the waves and when he came back up he was choking on a mouthful of the salty liquid. For a moment Bon was worried when his friend's breath continued to come in short gasps, remembering how he had recovered from many a serious wounds only about a week or two ago; one such wound included a ruptured lung. "…oi-"he began to say but was stopped when Rin lifted his face and howled out his response with all the strength of two fully healed lungs;

"What do you mean 'choices' you stupid gorilla?" he cried with the slightest tint of embarrassment on his cheeks. Just when Bon was about to respond with his own wild retort against the nickname he was interrupted _again_, this time by Yukio.

"Nii-san, are you alright?" It seemed that Bon was not the only one who remembered Rin's recent injuries.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I just tripped, it's not like I'm going to die," Rin reassured with that same goofy grin everyone was so familiar with plastered all over his face. If it wasn't for the fact that there was someone waiting for him on the shore Yukio surely would have lectured his brother about being careful for the millionth time. All he could do for now was sigh and look at his elder brother in a reprimanding way before dragging him over to the woman, dodging around her son who was chasing after a rolling beach ball, as he went.

"My apologies Miss Kiseki, you were saying?" Yukio turned his attention back to the plump woman with a close-lipped smile.

"Ah yes, thank you Yukio-san," she turned to Rin, "I was just telling your brother how our resident chef got into an accident recently and can no longer cook any of your meals. I wanted to ask if you would be willing to do the job for us?"

At this Rin beamed excitedly, "Really?" he asked, "I'd love to." The woman laughed at his excitement seeming almost relieved that the teen had not been insulted at the thought of having to do more work.

In his enthusiasm Rin's tail had managed to slip out from under his shirt and Konekomaru winced when he remembered what had happened to the blocks of Orion it had shattered just a few days previous.

To the horror of all those watching the little blonde boy had noticed the sudden appearance of the odd appendage and was trotting over to it on stubby legs. Bon lurched back to his full height, _baka!_ he roared mentally. There wasn't enough time to get the words out of his mouth before the child was within slapping distance of Rin's tail.

Just as it had before the blue-black thing reared back a little and came slamming down to the innocent kid. However, not a second before it touched down Rin managed to get control and stopped his tail. Choosing to dip it under the kid's nose and flick upwards. A happy smile broke out over the youth's face and he giggled furiously. Bon could not see the smirk cross over the blue-haired teen's face but watched as the fiery blue tip bounced back and forth in a 'no' motion and the child giggled again as Rin pulled his blue 'arm' back under his shirt and around his stomach.

All those who had just watched the incident occur, let out a breath of relief. Bon reluctantly turned back to gathering up snot as Rin and owner of the hotel discussed dinner.

Later, Miss Kiseki would have to send her son to his room for insisting that one of their guests had a black tail.

* * *

><p><strong>There, trust restored. Rin has full control over his tail… mostly…. Except for when he's sleeping….<strong>

**XD so yeah, I'm not much of one for adorable fanfics so this was a new thing for me. **

**And as for calling Rin's tail an arm… In a way it acts a lot like that of a cat as well as a monkey's and studies show how a monkey's tail is very similar to something of a third arm. Kinda like an elephant's trunk… so maybe that's what I should be comparing it to 'cause its hella strong. Ah whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm sure you guys get the point.**


	5. MultiPurpose

**Lol, Rin's tail kinda reminds me of a metal detector~**

**Disclaimer: If you don't get it by now I have to say that you're kinda dense. **

Multi-purpose:

When people thought about the tail of a demon belonging to the high class they usually thought 'instrument of death'. Instances exist where exorcists have been completely snapped in half due to a single flick on the demons behalf. It is because of things such as this that people don't generally mull over what Rin Okumura does with his. Nor, for that matter, has anyone really considered the multi-purpose qualities of such a thing.

"Which bottle is Holy water?" asked Shura, placing two jugs of what appeared to be water in the middle of the 'people circle' the kids had formed in the middle of the room.

"Eh?" Shima asked after an awkward pause. None of them actually knew the difference between what regular water was and what had been blessed. All the Holy Water they'd ever used had a label on it so they'd never needed to.

"Yew deaf or somethin'?" Shura frowned, "I asked which one was Holy and which wasn't."

"Um, Sensei?" Kamiki half raised her hand.

"What?"

"We were never taught the difference…" Izumo trailed off, a small spark of irritation in her eye.

Shura's reply was an unwelcome response; "So? Figure it out!"

"What?" Bon yelped, "how the hell are we supposed to do that?" he shouted in surprise. Quite frankly this was not how he wanted to be taught a lesson.

Rin let out a sigh and mumbled under his breath, "Every lesson she teaches me…" He recalled the candles she had 'taught' him how to light, but really she just stood back and laughed at him when he couldn't figure out what he was doing wrong. After some thought the blue-haired exorcist just figured that Shura herself didn't know the answers, all she did was supply him with a question and he had to figure out the answer on his own.

"Oh would you just calm your ass down? You've got yar own Guiney Pig right there," She jabbed a thumb at Rin who started.

Now it was his turn to sputter. "H-huh?" a blue-black appendage flicked back and forth irritably, "You can_not_ throw that on me to find out! That's torture!" he protested.

"If we can't throw it on you, then what do you suggest we do instead?" Rin was horrified to see Bon smiling evilly. Now, it was unfortunate that none of them knew about Rin's still injured lung. His side was mostly okay now, leaving him with a pretty gnarly scar, but the ruptured lung in his chest would still cause occasional pains to sear through his chest. It took all he had to play it off when they were gathering those weird strings of mucus last week and even though Rin was feeling a lot better he still didn't want to risk a bucket of Holy Water accidentally sliding down his throat. Or at least, he _hoped _it would be accidentally.

Shifting uncomfortably under the gazes of all his friends Satan's son scrambled for something to say. "J-just give me a second to figure it out myself!" he finally said.

"Hah?" someone said but Rin was already standing next to the two 'innocent' jugs of 'water' and he couldn't see the owner of the voice. It sounded like Shima, though.

For a moment Rin glared at his own reflection in the water of the second jug and it rippled for an instant, almost as if it was waving him in. The coarse hairs on the base of his tail stood on end as a sickly sweet scent found its way to his nose. Frowning he turned to Shura and pointed at the jug, saying; "This one."

Shura raised a surprised eyebrow, almost as if she had expected him to get it wrong. Actually, knowing the lean woman she probably had.

"That's correct," she said after as startled pause and Rin grinned, his tail swaying back and forth. Feeling the need to get away from corrosive liquid in front of him before Shura decided that she wanted to dunk him anyway he retreated back to the line of students surrounding the jars. "Care to tell us how you found it out?" She asked.

All eyes turned back to Rin as he thought for a moment before shrugging. "Instinct, I guess."

That certainly made teaching her lesson harder and Shura mentally cursed Rin's 'instinct' for the rest of the lesson as she had to go to great lengths to get the other students to understand Holy Water apart from regular water.

**Hahahaha, such a short chappy~**

**Thanks to bluelove22, howlingwindofthestorm, Lycanrai Moraine, symbion, and WatchOutForWendigos for the reviews! Free cookies for yooouuu!**


	6. Bound

**Awww, brotherly loovvee XD and I don't mean Okumaest you sick, dirty bastards. That's the grossest thing I've ever had the misfortune of encountering next to Elricest. *shudders* eeeeeww.**

**Disclaimer: …Hey Rin!**

**Rin: *running from Shura in the middle of training* FairytaleWarriordoesn'townAoNoExorcistohSHIT! *dodges blade***

**Thaaaanks~**

Bound:

It was every bit uncomfortable, the binding on the end of Rin's tail I mean. It made hiding his tail under his shirt all the more difficult because it would occasionally pinch it, causing him to jump or wince. Whenever that happened he had to scramble for an excuse and sometimes he couldn't quite come up with one good enough. In which case he'd have to try changing the topic, something that usually worked pretty well. _U__sually_.

The class had been called over to the outskirts of town to take care of a couple of rouge Tengu and had to all rent rooms for three. Of course all the girls were in one room and the guys in another. Rin was going to be sharing a room with Bon and Yukio while Shima, the boy with the puppet, and Konekomaru were in the room next door. Shura, Izumo, and Sheimi were all supposed to be in a room down the hall but there had been a slight mix up and now Sheimi sat next to him, talking casually. Izumo had gone to the bathroom and Shura was downstairs finding a new room for the girls.

Rin was about to open his mouth and say something to Bon as he unpacked a book to read when Yukio popped into the room.

"Nii-san-"he began but was interrupted when Rin jumped.

"Whoa, where the hell did you come from?" he cried, forcing back a wince as the sudden movement nicked his tail a little harder than he'd have liked.

"Where did I…" Yukio trailed off and then gestured to a second door that attached the two rooms together, "the door." Rin made an 'o' shape with his mouth but didn't say anything. Bon muttered something about stupid monkeys behind him but Rin was forced to ignore him when his little brother spoke again. "You can let your tail out now, Nii-san. I'll let you know if anyone's coming but for now you're safe." Those words were like a siren's call to Rin and he let out grateful sigh. His tail whipped out from under his shirt slower than normal to avoid any pinching.

Immediately noticing that something was wrong with his brother, Yukio asked, "Is something bothering you, Nii-san?"

"Ah! No, no, no I'm fine!" Rin said a little too quickly, causing Bon to look up from his book and Sheimi to gaze at him with a concerned expression. "Really I'm fine!" Rin tried again, the tip of his tail flicking back and forth, sending pain spiraling up his tailbone. The reacting wince didn't really convince anyone that their demon friend was telling the truth.

Yukio was about to ask his brother if it was his lung that was causing the discomfort when he noticed Rin reflexively reach out and grab his tail when another jab of agony rocketed through his back. "Okay," Rin admitted with a slight wheeze to his voice, "maybe I'm not so fine then."

The next thing Rin knew he was sitting cross legged on his bed while his brother examined the gold binding on his tail.

"Whats wrong with him?" Suguro asked Yukio.

"Hey, don't act like I'm not here damnit!" Rin spat.

"The pain seems to be coming from the bind on his tail," Yukio replied, ignoring his brother's indignant 'oi! Listen to me when I'm talking!' as he inspected the furry blue appendage.

"Are you okay, Rin?" Sheimi asked worriedly.

"Yeah I'm just fine, barely hurts at all- ouch," Rin tried but was interrupted when his younger brother poked at a particularly sore part. "Watch it, would ya?" He tried to pretend he couldn't see Bon glaring death at him.

"Yuki-chan is there anything I can do to help?" Sheimi asked the black haired exorcist behind Rin.

"It's okay Sheimi, I've got everything under control. However, I may need some Yan Hu Suo later so be prepared if I ask for some," Yukio replied and got back to work on his brother's tail (1). Time passed and eventually Sheimi calmed down a little, worry slipping away from her face, she began to pick up her conversation with Rin again. Behind his brother, Yukio was starting to get a little irritated. Whenever he touched within three inches of the binding on his brother's blue-black appendage he would wince and his tail would instinctively try to flick him away. When the tip of Rin's tail finally managed to nick his chin Yukio'd had enough.

"Nii-san would you please refrain from doing that?" he asked a little irritably as he tried to hold his brother's tail down. Bon, who had gone back to reading his book, looked up.

"Sorry, it's instinct," Rin apologized sincerely. Finally figuring that without the removal of the bind he couldn't do a thing to help his elder twin, Yukio asked Sheimi if she could go and find Shura- who was probably still at the front desk.

"How long has your tail been hurting you, Nii-san?" Yukio asked. Rin shifted uncomfortably for a moment.

"Since Kyoto," he murmured, trying to make it so Bon wouldn't be able to hear. Unfortunately, the quiet response was exactly what got the most-likely-elder teens attention, but he didn't look up from his book. Whatever Rin was going to say he probably didn't want Bon to hear because it had something to do with him so he figured that he would get more out of the other if he acted like he wasn't listening.

"When in Kyoto?" Yukio pressed.

"Does that really matter?" Rin asked and his tail flicked around in his younger brothers gentle grip.

"Yes," he replied bluntly.

"Since Bon and his dad got into a fight that I tried to break up and Shura activated it," Rin said.

_So that's what that was_ Bon thought with a wince, trying not to remember the incident with his father or his friends howls as Shura chanted some kind sutra he hadn't heard of before.

"Yo~" and here she was now. "What's this I hear about Rin's tail?" The red-head asked.

"The bind on it seems to be tearing his skin, I wanted to ask you if you could remove it so I may treat the wound properly," Yukio answered.

Shura seemed to hesitate for a moment, mulling over the idea. She glanced at Rin, almost like asking him for his opinion on something and he shrugged. Something must have happened in the court when he got the bind because he seemed to know why she was hesitating.

"I doubt they'd figure it out if we just removed it for a second or two," Rin stated but he was unable to hide the nervous flicker in his eye. With that Shura finally made up her mind and sat down next to Yukio, forming a seal with her hands she muttered a sutra under breath and Rin let out a cry of pain as the bind tightened a moment before popping off. Leaning forward he sighed when cool air met his burning tail and out of the corner of his eye he saw Bon sit back down. Sheimi was right next to him an instant later asking if he was alright.

"I'm fine, it just stings a little, that's all," he reassured her with a smile. She seemed hesitant to believe him but was willing to accept it for the time being. Yukio wasn't exactly happy at the state that Rin's tail was in and next to him Shura grimaced. Both knew how sensitive a demon's tail was so they had a good idea of just how much pain Rin was in when they saw the coating of blood where the edge of the ring had torn the skin and matted the fur.

"He means that he's fine until Yukio starts cleaning it," Shura said for him and Rin glared at her.

With a grimace of his own Yukio warned his brother, just as he had all those times before: "I'm going to start, Nii-san." Rin nodded and tensed up, prepared for shear agony to run pulsing through his entire tail and more. The process probably wouldn't have been as bad if not for the fact that he was surrounded by close friends and could no longer play it off so easily. But it also wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that it was his _tail_ that was being treated.

When Yukio then began to apply disinfectant to Rin's wound his body tensed up further and he ducked his head down, gritting his teeth together and squeezing his eyes shut. Each time his brother lifted the cotton ball, brought it back down and slid it across the blood caked wound Rin would involuntarily flinch. Bon was probably staring at him and Sheimi had placed a worried hand on his clenched fist.

"Rin…" she sounded as if she wanted to help but Rin couldn't reply to reassure her.

"Oi, you're being too rough!" someone said and Rin's subconscious supposed it was Bon. _Really, what moron thought to make a tail the most sensitive piece on a demon's body?_ He wailed mentally. Just when Rin thought he might pass out there was the sound of scissors snipping and he realized Yukio had just applied fresh gauze to it. Mentally flinching Rin also realized that the bandages meant his kin would have to remove the bind, take off the bandages, clean it and then re-wrap it all over again after he took a shower the next day. He almost groaned.

"Will the bind still fit around these?" Yukio asked almost reluctantly as he lightly massaged Rin's tail with his thumb.

There was a pause as Shura examined Rin's tail and in her silence he realized that Bon had gotten up again and was standing at his side opposite Sheimi, both were looking worried. Bon was trying to cover it with a scowl though. There was the sound of something clicking behind him and Shura said;

"I don't see how anyone would notice the absence of this this thing if Rin keeps his tail hidden during the day anyway."

**(1) a herb used for killing pain**

**Hah, she acts like the worst person ever sometimes but she does have her good moments.**

**Gotta luv Shura. Oh and this would be a Tengu: wiki/Tengu**

**Hmmm, I feel like I've been jumping around too much in this chapter, I also feel like I may have made Yukio a bit out of character here as well. Should I go back and get rid of some parts?**

* * *

><p>REVIEWS<p>

**Howlingwindofthestorm: **yw~ I cant wait for the …too XD

**Illuminati-4: **Thankies~ Yep, Rin was feeling better until this chapter came along. I honestly think the others need to learn to trust him even when he does weird/scary things. Honestly, Rin couldn't hurt a fly…. Or should I say wouldn't… XD

**FullmetalFan16: **I know I need to stop abusing him XD Thank you~

**Prieva: **Hahaha, Im glad you like them ;D

**PeachTeaKt: **'old man in a child sized body' …. *imagines a trembling little kid talking about how the sky used to be bluer* ….*busts out laughing* that's an awesome description of Konkeomaru, something Rin might say XD XD and Thankies~ Glad you think of Shura's teaching that way, lets me know that I'm writing her character right. Awwwww, your too nice to me XD thank you so much.

**WatchOutForWendigos: **Your welcome! Hahahaha, Shura using him as a teaching tool is exactly how I'd thought she'd teach. But remember, Rin might not be her only tool XD

**Dragonchikfan: **Thank you, and I know right? There's a point when they're all in Kyoto eating breakfast and Rin's tail is just waving all over the place and no one asks. It makes me wonder what's going through evey1s minds. "Oh hey look, there's a boy with a tail, what an everyday occurrence. *gasp* that person's using a fork instead of chopsticks, how bizarre!"

**Manna Kallat: **He's ok, for now. XD Yeah I post pretty randomly so you may read a chapter, leave for a min, come back and suddenly there's another. Rin's got their trust back, but does he fully trust _them_ yet? I'm going to have to try and make a chappy about that in the future. Hahahaha, when u said 'cheat device' I'm like immediately "*gasp* POKER! Waaaaaiiit, no." I should do a chapter on his eyes too tho, they're really cool lookin'. You think they can see in the dark?


	7. In the Dark

**Can Rin see in the dark? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist. **

In The Dark:

On the night stand next to Rin's bed three red numbers glowed; 5:34 AM. When the blue haired exorcist rolled over to check the time he groaned. _Why is it that I always wake up so damn early? _He thought irritably. Ever since he had started making breakfast for Yukio and himself in the morning he had developed a very unwilling habit of waking up at 5. While it was a good thing because it gave him plenty of time to do as he pleased in the morning it was also a bad thing because even when he was dead tired he'd still wake up at the same time. In fact there were occasions when he had to pretend to be sleeping so Yukio wouldn't drug any of his drinks due to his lack of sleep.

Groaning softly to himself, Rin rose out from within the throng of messy sheets and quietly stumbled into the bathroom, trying not to wake the still sleeping Bon and Yukio. Without any lights whatsoever Rin was able to dodge around all the luggage scattered about on the floor and slip around the corner into the well hidden wash room. Whoever it was that had designed the building seemed to have enjoyed themselves thoroughly because on the corner right before the room they had implanted a fake door. So for those who were trying to feel their way around they would open it and run straight into a wall. The purpose of such a thing was beyond Rin and at the moment he really didn't care.

Once in the bathroom he checked out his tail and much to his delight he discovered that overnight it had completely healed. Grinning widely Rin put away the extra bandages and stripped down to take a shower. Five minutes later he was out, fully clothed, and brushing his teeth when his tail flicked. It stood right up to detect vibrations as someone moved across the carpet towards him. Removing his tooth brush he shifted to a battle ready stance facing the door. After all, who could possibly be awake at this hour? Certainly not someone with good intentions.

There was the shuffling of feet, a small thud and a curse as whoever it was tripped on one of the bags. The tone sounded familiar and with a start Rin realized it was Bon. An evil smirk crossed over his features, an almost demonic expression sparking through his eyes as he waited for the other to find the fake door.

It happened about two, maybe three seconds later. Another stub of the toe, curse and a clicking as Bon grabbed the door knob. With baited breath Rin listened as Bon opened the door…

Thud.

"Son of bitch!"

Rin leaned against the sink desperately trying to stifle his laughter and failing rather miserably. Not a moment later Bon was standing in front of him, cradling his nose with his hand and growling much like a grizzly. In fact, that's exactly what Bon looked like. His normally rooster style hair was all over the place and he squinted at Rin with beady, dark chocolate eyes. Rin continued to snicker as he dodged a clumsily placed smack and danced out through the bathroom door hissing to his friend, "You look a little lost there, Bon, do you want me to light some candles to show you the way?" (1) Bon was about ready to snap at these words and only managed to control himself because he was too tired to figure out how to get mad enough.

"Bon vs. Door. Door wins," Rin continued to jeer, showing a type of grace not seen before as he jumped around the luggage on the floor with perfect balance. For whatever reason Rin found himself able to fight better in the dark, when the moon was out. He figured that it must be a demon thing because whenever he stood under the moon at the abandoned dorms he and Yukio shared he felt unusually exhilarated. Almost made him feel like a werewolf when it was full. In any case, Rin could see everything around him bright as day while Bon could probably only see the small light on the refrigerator behind him.

"Damn you get your stupid monkey ass back here," he growled and took a step forward but Rin stopped him when he put a palm on his shoulder and pushed him back into the bathroom before taking off again with a hushed laugh. "Bastard…" Bon was absolutely livid and he took off after the other. Unfortunately he only got two steps in before he realized why Rin had pushed him back. Tripping over a particularly large bag Bon snarled, "Why the hell do we have to keep all the damn bags in _our_ room?" It was actually a really good question because the girls had found their rooms but left all their bags in the boys. So that meant there were eight bags sitting on the floor, 4 belonged to Yukio and Shura and the other 4 belonged to the remaining students.

The growl that emanated from his lips was a little too loud for Rin's liking, a woken up Yukio was never a fun thing when it was 5 in the morning. Actually it was probably closer to six by now but the outcome remained the same either way.

"You little…" Bon snarled loudly. Before Rin could do anything to quiet him down something hard connected with the back of his head and he bent over with a hiss of pain. Bon seemed confused and the blue haired exwire whirled around to face his brother.

"Damnit, Yukio what was-?" he began but was interrupted by the simple look of **death **of his younger brother's face. Shadows stretched over his glaring expression so Rin could not see anything more than a flash in his eye, probably reflected from the bathroom light.

"Go. To. Bed." The words dripped with a type of dangerous savagery that could not be put into words by the best of writers. (A/N: Rin, are you mocking me?)

"…Kay," all the color had drained from Rin's face and Bon froze. With that, Yukio grunted and lay back down while Rin spun, grabbed Bon's collar and tossed him back in the bathroom. Latching the door he let out a sigh.

"What was that about?" Bon asked, all irritation he felt towards Rin gone, replaced by surprise.

"Nothing, Yukio is just not a morning person is all," Rin explained. Bon blinked once before turning on the tap and splashing water on his face in an attempt to wake up.

"Morning person?" he asked, "It's nine o' clock!" He groaned as he dried off his face and turned towards the shower.

"It's actually six," Rin deadpanned.

"What? How do you know?" Bon asked suspiciously. Rin pointed to a small watch that sat next to the sink. Grabbing it, Bon glared furiously at the device and with a start he realized that he must have read the one on his nightstand upside down. "Why the hell are _you_ awake at this hour?" Bon yelped. Rin figured that Bon, just like everyone else, had assumed that Rin would be the last person to get up. So he must have heard the teen groan that morning and thought that since Rin was up he should probably get up as well.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Rin asked with an un-amused expression, "This is the time I normally get up at." Bon stopped all he was doing, glared at Rin and then simply left the room. There was the sound of sheets moving as the teen plopped down and almost immediately after fell back into the realms of REM sleep. Shrugging Rin waited until Bon had fallen back asleep, listening to his breathing patterns with a careful ear before deciding to go up to the roof and watch the stars. The teen had attempted to stay up until everyone else was awake, something he really had no way of knowing unless someone came and found him or he came back down himself.

Unfortunately for him, he lost track of time while gazing up at the stars and before he knew it the night had melted into the sunny streaks of daybreak and Shura was smacking him over the head for disappearing without telling anyone where he was going.

**(1): Rin is sorta referring to the phrase 'light at the end of the tunnel' here.**

**Lol, Bon is so weird in the morning don't you think? He's all like "I KILL YOU, waitwhat?" I had a hard time getting his character here because I honestly didn't really have a clue as to how the hell he'd react so early. He doesn't seem like an early riser though so I opted for careless violence then confusion then violence then irritation. XD**

**Tell me if you think I should go back over this and change it or if there are any parts that caused confusion cause I'm pretty confused too.**

**EDIT: Apparently Bon gets up at 5:30 too, according to OVA Special 5...OH WELL, I created this long before that came out so~ *scuttles off* I do what I want~ (I don't know, words can't describe how tired I am right now so please excuse me if my loopy behavior confuses you.)**


	8. Surf

**They r**_**eally **_**should have let this happen in episode 11. XD Rin and the guys really deserve it… Oh yeah and Manna Kallat, I managed to squeeze the poker idea into this :D Or not really **_**poker **_**per say, but it's still something along the lines. Kinda…**

**Howlingwindofthestorm:** I know, I'm so mean to him. Though, I'm giving him a break in this chappy so it's all good XD Thank you~

**Prieva:** :x Thanks! I was really worried that I had done something that wasn't quite right. Cuz I re-read all these chapters like 5 times before posting them to be sure that I got rid of any and all errors and I was all like "Something is wrong here but I can't tell what!" It makes me feel a lot better that I was probably just thinking too much XD

**WatchOutForWendigos: **its how I would imagine them all to react, or at least how I hoped they would. Both sweet but sour at the same time, they hate how he always keeps his pain hidden but when Rin has no choice but to show it they immediately can't help but show concern. *nods* yeah, getting Shura's act is really easy for me because in every way she is exactly like me. XD Only I think I may be a bit more violent and less prone to show so much skin ./. Tough love is how I show I care to my friends too, so her character is like a second skin ;)

**Symbion: **Hehe, people like that are always sweet when they show how they care. Always like "I don't care for shit…but have a pain killer or something anyway." XD

**Manna Kallat: **XD He is, he is~ Thank you! Yukio reminds me of MY sis in the morning *shudders* Rin: Hey, hey I don't want to wake up at such an hour either T-T *high fives* Huzzah indeed!

**XD geeze, you guys are way too nice to me. So much praise, the least I can do is give you Kuro eating fish. Oh what you wanted FANservice? Pfuah! Well u get that too. A little…. Shit Rin, how are you gunna put on a bathing suit with a fucking tail?**

**Rin: *groans* **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Surf:

It was at last the end of the week, the Tengu had all been taken care of and the students had earned a day of relaxation before heading back home. Izumo, with a blue-grey sweatshirt on, sat with Sheimi, in a pink flowery bikini, under a beach umbrella casually talking to each other while Shura was out catching fish with her bare hands and attracting men in her skimpy, red bikini. Yukio was actually using a real fishing rod and trying to catch fish the 'human' way on the docks while Shima drooled over girls on the beach. Konekomaru smiled nervously at him and Bon reprimanded the pink haired exorcist for how eager he was being. For Christ sakes he was a monk! The strange boy with the bunny puppet sat underneath his own isolated umbrella, talking to himself…

Shima wore a red swimsuit, Bon a dark, chocolate brown with a white streak running down the left side and Konkomaru was in what appeared to be a black swimsuit with the True Cross Academy symbol on the bottom of the left leg. Out of all of them Bon seemed to have the most developed abs, sticking out a little more than the rest on his tanned skin. You could count in Yukio but he was wearing a navy cotton shirt and there was also Shura but…The less said the better.

"Has anyone seen Okumura-san?" Konekomaru asked suddenly, stopping Bon from raving at Shima for the thousandth time.

"Now that you mention it, he said he was going to put on his swimsuit almost 20 minutes ago," Shima said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I was trying to hide my tail. It's a hell of a lot harder than it looks," said a voice behind him and Shima let out a startled cry.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Bon yelped, leaping back from Rin. Rin just laughed, not giving up any information as to where he came from. Really he just came from the changing room and he happened to have quiet footsteps. Konekomaru could have sworn he saw the tip of the teen's tail twitch from under the left leg of his a red, white, and blue swimsuit. Now that he could get a closer look at Rin he noticed the vast number of scars that littered his lean frame. There was a white hole punctured through his left shoulder in the shape of a blade, three claw marks that ran down under his left arm, another, smaller hole on his rib cage where one of his broken ribs had torn through skin, two bullet wounds on his right shoulder, a sickeningly large 4 and a half inch long incision on his left hip, and a thick, pale ring that wrapped its way around Rin's ankle.

"I guess hiding it_ would _be rather difficult in swim trunks," said Konekomaru thoughtfully, trying to ignore the wounds that had marred his friends frame.

"You haven't the slightest idea," Rin's shoulders sagged and he looked at the other with a defeated spark in his eye. Konekomaru laughed and Shima suddenly pointed out to the ocean.

"Hey look, surfers!" he cried. Out gliding over the large waves in the distance were spots of people expertly moving with the water around them. Bon laughed when one of them slipped clear off his board, falling back and launching the flotation device forward.

"It's probably how Okumura would surf," he jeered and a grin took over Rin's face.

"You wana make a bet on that?" he asked deviously.

Bon returned the evil look expertly, "Sure."

"You guys…" Konekomaru trailed off in a warning tone, "I don't think that's the best idea…"

"Whoever can ride a wave longer gets to buy the other lunch," said Rin, ignoring Konekomaru's protests.

"What about your lung, Okumura-san?" Shima asked.

Rip bumped a fist right over it and said strongly, "my lung's gunna be just fine, don't worry."

Reassured that Rin would be able to meet the challenges Bon got up, "then let's go and get some surf boards," with a confident smirk on his face he began to walk towards the 'Sea Articles' shop.

About 20 minutes later the two of them sat on their boards waiting for a big enough waves to come barreling towards them. There was a small squeak behind Bon and he looked over to see Rin adjusting the Kurikara. He now had it strapped on around his neck and over his shoulder, much like one of those bags they had used in the bug forest, and was tightening it to be sure that it would not slip away should he fall.

"Are you sure it's alright to bring that out here?" Bon asked, shifting on his board.

"Yeah, I don't trust that it will be safe on land," Rin recalled the time when Amaimon had managed to snatch it away from him without a heartbeat of trouble. "I feel better if it's with me at all times," he added. Bon didn't have much of any time to look unconvinced and express that to the younger teen as he bobbed up and down because a shout snagged his attention away. Looking forward he saw a large wave cascading towards them, and immediately turned around, laying on his board, ready to spring up like he'd seen all the others do. Rin followed this movement and soon the wave caught the two men, lifting them up into the air.

With hesitant balance Rin jumped up and hobbled for a minute before his tail burst out of his pants. It bobbed back and forth with his movements and he found himself with perfect balance. Calming he let himself be carried by the wave, bursting forward along it with legs spread and his upper body bent down a little. Deciding to be a little brave he turned the board upwards, flipping over the top of the wave before falling back down and gliding along the blue-green water. A smirk was over his face and his tail flicked as he passed through a tunnel. Sticking out a hand into the wall he felt the water lick his skin and for the first time in too long Rin felt free.

He hadn't noticed that Bon fell off almost immediately after he had stood up. He didn't notice the other surfers staring at him in awe and somewhere in the back of his mind he fretted that perhaps they had managed to make out his tail among the waves. They likely just thought it was a piece of seaweed or something with how it was shuddering back and forth.

The wave behind him carried Rin almost to the shore before it became too small to ride any more, forcing Rin to sit back down on the surf board. On the shore Shima and Konekomaru were gaping at him, Yukio was staring at him with an unreadable expression, and there were stars sparkling in Sheimi's eyes. As usual Izumo tried to look unimpressed but even she couldn't keep the slightest tint of surprise from her eyes. Bon's expression was the most hilarious of them all however; he stood in the shallows, surf board tucked under his arm with his chin lost in the waves. The bug eyed, gaping look of sheer surprise was enough to cause a laugh. That laugh however, was immediately whipped away when Shura popped up under him.

"Nice ride~" she cooed and Rin let out a yelp, flying backwards and off the board as his teacher's breasts bounced against his leg. Shura's howl of laughter was muffled from under the water and as Rin floated beneath the waves scowling at her he got a sudden idea. Using a small flame to propel himself forwards he grabbed Shura's leg, pulling it back and causing her face to come crashing down. Stuffing his tail back in his pants hurriedly he took off towards the shore. A mischievous look crossed over Shura's face and she rocketed after him.

Whatever Shura's plan was it didn't go as she had thought it would. A badly aimed kick shot through the water and landed between the boy's legs as they stood in shallow water. Rin sucked in a breath, for all the world looking like he'd just swallowed a lemon and became static.

"Oh shit!" Shura's hushed voice broke his frozen pose and he released a howl, falling back underneath the waves as a wreathing mass.

To say the least Rin earned the respect and sympathy of all the other guys in the group, an awkward moment where Sheimi asked if he would like her to treat the new wound, and shared a two hour lecture with Shura given by none other than Yukio himself.

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><p><strong>*hisses* owwww, all I can say, Rin, is you have my respect.<strong>

**._e geeze I'm so mean to you XD Thanks again for everyone's reviews~ Free cookies for all~~**

**Swimsuit and Surf Board ideas were based offa this: www . mangahere manga / ao _ no _ exorcist / v04 / c016 /**

**Edit: I wonder if I should delete this chapter...hmmm.**


	9. Don't Blink in the Dark

**So Ao No Exorcist is a story about demons and therefore has its share of creepy ass scenes. Lately I've gotten to thinking that the number of these scenes is neither large nor scary enough for my tastes. Yesterday, while hanging out at a friend's house, we were playing a 'scary' Indie game called '****Decay****' and it wasn't all that scary really. Actually the only freaky part is the doll. And even that isn't all that scary after u get to part 2!**

**Anyway, complaints aside I thought "what would happen if Rin and Shura practiced training in some kind of haunted building and when they got back Rin had a little …'friend'?" XD **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Don't Blink in the Dark:

Rin let out a relieved sigh as he fell onto his bed. Shura had had him training for two nights in a row at one of Japan's three most haunted castles; the Himeji Castle. She hadn't allowed him to get an ounce of sleep and even if she had he'd only have been sleeping for about an hour because at 1 to 2AM in the morning, without fail, every time there would always be some kind of horrible wail. The wail of Okiku figuring out there was one less plate to count. (A/N: look it up XD It's 100% true there, I did not make that up) Rin hated the sound because it made his protective side flare up and he'd have to resist dashing to the aid of someone who was already dead. At one point he had actually been unable to resist that instinct and once he'd found the source of the agonized wailing he had sorta wished he hadn't come running.

A probably once beautiful woman stood hunched over a mantle with 9 royal looking plates sitting in a neat row. Her black hair was dishelved and ridden with blood, her face was so horribly disfigured that she didn't even look human any more. From head to foot she was covered in a second skin of blood, decaying wounds slashed through her arms and legs. Scars and blood, open wounds that spewed the crimson paint ran down her features when she turned to Rin with lopsided mouth agape.

"The plate," she moaned, "where is the last plate?" Rin had been so startled by her fierce speed that he had barely been able to dodge her attacks and when he had finally managed to regain his composure Shura had shown up. However, her reaction to the appearance of the woman was a brief second that mirrored Rin's before he took her out with a powerful flame. Bad idea, it turned out. While under the moon he was stronger, faster, more ballast, and a ton more graceful even he had a bit of trouble when demons of all shapes and sizes reared up and began to try and pull him to Gehenna.

"The king calls for you."

"Master requests your presence."

"My prince, come with us, come!"

"We have waited so long." The worst part about it was these demons weren't like the kind he'd been fighting thus far. Almost like they were designed for it they struck fear into any person's heart. Even Shura was getting a little frightened by them because not only were they so disfigured you couldn't even tell what they were anymore, many of them looked like some sort of blemished human. Needless to say they had been forced to retreat using Shura's key and popped into the Okumura brother's dorm rooms panting. Rin was extremely glad that Yukio was away on his own mission as currently he did not want to explain what had just happened. The blue haired exorcist was able to patch himself up well enough, having to do it often times before when Yukio was away and Rin still thought he was human.

For a moment Shura had looked like she wanted to stay with the elder Okumura, to make sure that nothing had followed them through but after some persuasion Rin managed to convince her to leave. That didn't stop her from staying for dinner though.

"I thought you said you were leaving," Rin had said when she'd plopped down at one of the tables outside the kitchen.

"After dinner I will," she'd replied and he had simply added a larger portion of potatoes to show that he'd heard her. While Ukobach fixed up Kuro a bowl of sukiyaki Rin gave Shura her plate and sat down to eat.

"Weird way to eat sukiyaki," she commented, noting how everything was already on the plate, meat already cooked.

"Too tired to do it the proper way," grumbled Rin past a mouthful of food. Shura had just shrugged, chowed down and then left.

Now he lay trying to sleep on his bed with Kuro curled up next to him. But the voices of the demons remained locked in his mind and for whatever reason he could not seem to escape them. Suddenly, there was the sound of something shuffling down the hall and Rin's ears perked a little. It was likely just a piece of paper he'd lost and it was gliding around on a breeze produced by some vents so he quickly forgot about it when it stopped. It was only when it picked up again next to his bed that he bothered opening his eye.

"Holy fuck!" He cried, jumping back. There, standing at the side of the bed was what appeared to be some kind of doll. Its black hair was cropped down to U.S. military level and burnt in some areas. Black smudges were smeared across its entire frame and a pale, scratched up arm froze in the middle of reaching up to grab him. Kuro hissed at the doll that was, now that Rin looked a little closer, covered in holes where moths and decay had ripped through it. A part of its left cheek was missing and its pale, lifeless eyes were without lids. Blinking he found the doll had taken a step closer.

Irritation bubbled up inside Rin at that moment. It rose almost past the point of control and he found his tail snapping back and forth, the air screaming as it cut through it. Pulling back his lips, narrowing his eyes and leaning down he snarled viciously with blue flames licking the edges of his frame;

"Back, the fuck off!"

Honeslty, Rin was tired of all this. He hadn't had sleep for two days, which normally wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that of those entire two days he had been fighting and when Shura couldn't fight any more he was practicing his flames or fighting other demons. He was e_xhausted _and didn't want to be awake fighting some doll to add onto his sleep deprived week. Tomorrow he was supposed to return to his classes for the first half of the day before Shura dragged him back down to the private training area after her class with the others. Once he got home he would likely be up late studying again so that meant this was going to be his last night of full body rest.

The doll could see that its master was short on patience and wished to leave at that moment. But the Kings orders were absolute and not even the young prince could over rule them. It would have to keep him from getting a full nights rest so when the gates opened he would have no strength to fight back. With the sound of glass grating it lowered its arm and took a step back. When Rin continued to glare at it, the doll shuffled towards the door, passed right through it and left.

Grunting, Rin lay back down.

**Are you alright, Rin? **Kuro asked.

_Yeah, just really, really tired is all_, he replied closing his eyes. Kuro hesitated for a moment before lowering his head too and falling asleep. Rin woke up again at about 3:24AM to the same shuffling sound coming from his desk. Jolting up he scared Kuro awake with a; _Son of a bitch-_ and then a series of painful coughing. Kuro, seeing his tamer doubled over hacking and a doll standing a few feet away made a connection and saw the doll as a new threat. Momentarily forgetting that his true size would cause more damage than good Kuro transformed, grabbed the doll in his jaws and smashed it to pieces.

This resulted in a broken desk, window, scratched up floor, dented ceiling, and pieces of a doll scattered over the floor. Rin was actually relatively glad that nothing on his younger brother's desk had been damaged because he probably had some holy water grenades and it would have been very nasty for both Kuro and himself if they had gone off. The misty after-water that drifted on the air could have found its way into Rin's lungs and then he'd probably have to start from square one all over again.

The pain in his chest was no longer a massive sting when he coughed, more like a sore bruise being poked. It seemed that Rin's flames had a hard time healing his organs but could weave holes in his body like the one Noihaus had thrown through his abdomen closed like they were paper cuts. Rin couldn't tell if he was annoyed or grateful.

"…uuuughhh," Rin groaned when he saw the mass destruction that had been taken to his room. _I'm probably gunna have to fix this by myself too_ he thought in despair and then _Goodbye sleep._ So after waving off Kuro's furious apologies and telling him to just sleep on Yukio's bed tonight Rin got to work fixing up the room. He couldn't repair the window or the desk so he just cleared the remains out of the room and replaced the desk with the one in the room next door. But not before sweeping away all the shattered wood and glass. He was extra careful disposing of the dolls remains. Then he replaced the broken panels of wood on the ceiling with extras he had found in the janitors closet.

When he was done it was about six o' clock AM and he had to get ready for school. But when he turned around to grab his bag he came face to face, or in this case face to shin seeing as how small it was, with the doll that Kuro had destroyed not three hours earlier. Rin's arms dropped down to his sides and he stared at the doll in utter disbelief.

"Ok, that is _not _fair," he stated blatantly. The doll just continued to look at him with dead eyes. Deciding that he didn't want Kuro to trash the room again, he waved the cat down with the back of his hand then sent a ball of blue flame towards the doll standing at his feet. A shrill scream bubbled up from its lips as the flames engulfed its small body and within seconds it was nothing more than a burning heap on the floor. After he was confident that the creature had been eliminated for good this time Rin put out the fire with a holy water grenade. He didn't pull the pin, just dismantled it and pored its contents onto the flames. He really had to figure out how to call his flames back, he wouldn't always have some holy water nearby to help.

**If that didn't kill it then I don't think anything will,** Kuro commented, jumping on Rin's shoulder as the other picked up his back-pack and sword before heading downstairs. When Rin stumbled down those steps, ready to make himself a big breakfast he was delighted to find that Ukobach had already made him his meal. It wasn't that Rin didn't love cooking it was the fact that his 'bottomless reservoirs of energy' had become not so bottomless.

Gratefully chewing on an omelet stuffed with gooey cheese and ham Rin relished the taste with his eyes closed. There was a concerned warble to his left and he opened his eyes to find Ukobach standing in front of him. Rin jumped a little, thinking the doll had somehow come back and causing the small demon to frown with worry.

"Sorry, I'm okay," Rin said with a sigh. Ukobach released an unconvinced squeal and Rin chuckled. "I'm not going to die, Ukobach, I'll be just fine!" For good measure, though, Rin didn't drink the tea that the cooking demon made for him after he said this. If he passed out before he left Shura would likely kill him for missing her lessons. "Ok, I'm leaving!" Rin called to the two resident demons, receiving a loud whine and a "**Take care!**"from the two familiars.

Once reaching the class room, he pulled open the massive door to find no one there. Glaring at the clock above the chalkboard he realized that he was a good 25 minutes early.

"Fucking hell," he cursed and slid into his seat. Resting his head in his arms, Rin allowed himself to doze off until class started. He got in about 15 minutes before someone screamed. Jolting up he searched for the source of the shrill cry and his icy blue eyes met Izumo's dark amber ones. For a moment he looked at her pale face with worry. She thrust a hand up to point at something behind him and Rin heard Bon ask with a tint of fear in his voice; "What the hell is that thing?"

"Aaaahaha!" Rin wailed and thumped his head back onto the desk when he realized what they were all looking at. There, standing right next to him was the now twice killed zombie doll.

"Rin!" Sheimi cried out worriedly and took a step forward. She immediately froze however when the doll slowly turned its head towards her, that same sound of grinding glass squeaking out from the movement. A vein pulsed on Rin's forehead and he snapped back up, bashing a knee against the underside of the table and causing it to bump the doll into the air. Time seemed to slow down as Rin then punched the doll so hard it flew through the wall on the other side of the class room.

Silence then dripped from the room for several heartbeats before Rin collapsed back into his chair and let out a long agonized sigh. _Please don't be afraid, please don't be afraid,_ he chanted in his mind as he waited for his friends to react. Moriyama was first;

"Rin!" she squeaked out again and this time ran towards him like a rocket. The others followed after at their own concerned paces. Wearily opening his eyes Rin released a sigh of relief.

"I'm okay, just a bit tired," he explained.

"'Just a bit tired'…? You look like you're going to pass out any second!" Shima cried indignantly. Rin tried not to wince but his tail gave him away when it curled inwards, surprised at the tone Shima had used. When the blue haired exorcist stubbornly tried to tell them he was alright Konekomaru chose to speak up.

"Your tail suggests otherwise," he commented and gestured to the tensed up, drawn in appendage.

"Really-" Rin said and Bon snapped right before Izumo.

"Just sleep, damnit!" he snarled.

"Eh?" Rin asked, confusion causing his tail to unravel and sway back and forth a little.

"You have another 30 minutes before class starts; Shura-sensei said she'd be late!" Izumo added irritably.

"Then what the hell are all you guys doing here so early?" Rin snapped back.

"She just told us all now," Sheimi said, "Right outside the door."

"Moron, stop arguing and rest!" Bon looked like he wanted to smack the other, and probably would have too if Rin hadn't complied with his demand.

"Maybe just a little then," Rin murmured and lay his head in his arms.

When Kirigakure came through the class door a half an hour later she was shushed by a swarm of students. She stayed silent for a total of 3 minutes before the doll reappeared and she stuffed it into a sack to give to the Biology of Demons Research Institute later. Grabbing Rin by the scruff of his shirt she then tossed him back into his room using her magic key and began to teach her lessons.

***whistles* a long chappy, neh? XD Was it creepy enough? Something seems to really hate Rin, doesn't it?**

**Rest Rin, you've earned it. Really, because next chappy you might have a run in with an old…acquaintance.**

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><p><strong>Reviewers:<strong>

**Batduck: **Thanks a lot I'm glad that my stories have become a thing for you to look forward to. But remember, they're spontaneous so one week they pop up rapidly then there might be a long time lapse as I search for ideas. Writers block is a bitch like that XD

**Manna Kallat: **XD oh yeah! 4? What kind of job would demand that? Lol, Rin says thanks. Hahahaha I don't know whether to thank you or not XD Rin: …hey, wait a minute! XD Yeah same, the thought just kinda hit me right then and there so im like, im just gunna be inhumanly mean here.

**SamVilRico: ***bows* Oh yeah def, especially a hit from a well-developed Shura. She's got some monster muscles XD Haha, I was kinda worried that I hadn't described his expression well enough, good that I got it across thanks~ I'm glad you feel that way, it's just how I wanted my story to be seen as. More like ovas than this big wild ride of yoai and shit *shudders*

**WatchOutForWendigos:** hahahahaha, yeah that's Rin's character! He acts all lame and then suddenly does something really cool. And Bon… he had work to do if he thinks he can kill Satan that way XD. Haha, true true. The people around him are scrambling for a way to read him but its difficult because, as I said; one minute he's lame the next he's friggn awesome. Probably not the jumps as much because he hasn't done too many (I think?) and while Bon is smart and probably would have made the connection to Rin's tail on any other occasion he is also stupidly stubborn. He really wants to beat Rin, just some kind of weird rival thing going on. Poor Rin indeed.

**FullmetalFan16: **Rin's all like, 'my reproductive organs!' XD

**Luversblues: **Yep, Rin doesn't want his friends to worry because he's a stubborn ass. RinxSheimi fic? Oh hell no, I agree that I don't hate the characters but this is story for friendship based things. Out there be too much love going on for my tastes, besides, I don't write romance. So no worries the only sign of any love in this flick will be next chapter and that one isn't really between characters we know. Thanks so much!

**Bluelove22: **Lol, thanks~

**Symbion: XD **Thanks, it just kinda came from nowhere!

**Illuminati-4: **Glad to hear that you liked it~ Rin is glad to be better. Yeah, you'd think a guy like him would just fall off a millisecond in. But that's Rin for ya, full of surprises. He just lost his lunch XD Tho Rin deserves it so… XD I'm glad that you see them that way, I try hard to make sure that they aren't being OC and re-read all my chapters before posting them to make sure. I'm a tad bit nervous about this one tho… tell me if you see anything weird and I'll be sure to go over it. ^ ^


	10. Emily

…**..Oo Run devil run!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist. **

Emily:

Rin sighed wearily from where he lay looking up at the beautiful blue sky, white clouds drifting by lethargically and the sun beat down on him with uncomfortable heat. It wasn't yet hot enough to be blistering, no that would come around later in the year. Right now it was just enough to make you want to wear shorts. Too bad this school has a uniform.

It was lunch time at True Cross Academy and Rin, in his haste, had forgotten all about his own meal that morning. Now it probably sat in the fridge, if Ukobach and Kuro hadn't decided to eat it for him already. Sighing again, Rin closed his eyes and frowned when his tail detected movement a bit too close to be a kid running around with his or her friends.

"You…" a familiar voice hissed. _Oh shit!_ Rin's eyes snapped open and his arms flew out from behind is head to lift his upper body forward. He was cast in the shadow of a girl with dusty blonde hair drawn up in pigtails and light brown eyes. The school uniform stuck to her curves like a wave and in some terms she may have been called 'busty'. She was beautiful in every way and had men drooling over her left and right. Now, if she was talking to one of those men then they would likely be scrambling for a way to attract her. Rin just let out a low groan and fell back down. "How did scum like you get into True Cross?" She growled.

Rin just casually threw his hands back behind his head and breathed, "Who knows? At least I didn't have to get my mommy and daddy to pull money from their asses and pay for a scholarship like you, Emily." Emily was a girl that he'd known from middle school, an annoying little prick who was always fussing over guys and trying to make herself look good. She truly thought she was a goddess and it really showed in her actions. She hadn't even known that Rin existed until he broke her boyfriend's nose when he started talking trash about the more respectable kids in the class. Something that Rin couldn't stand was back talking, especially when it was about someone who was just trying to do something kind. It was after PE that one of the other girls had lent the boy a towel and after she had left he and another guy joked about how much it smelled and how fat the poor girl was. After he had broken the kid's nose and knocked his teeth loose his girlfriend had figured out he was the cause. Ever since she had never really left him alone.

Emily stood stalk straight, her hands clenched into fists, a look of wrath swimming in her eyes.

"You little brat!" She screeched and before Rin really understood what was going on he was dodging a not-so-well aimed kick to his stomach. "How dare you- how _dare _you poke fun at such respectable people as my parents!" she howled and several people turned to see what the cause of all the commotion was about. _This is not a good place for this to happen, _Rin thought. He really hated the idea but it seemed that life was going to be against him so if he wanted to avoid fighting a girl his best option was to run for the hills.

"Daaamn," he groaned and whirled around, taking off at a breath taking speed.

"Get back here you demon!" Rin was understandably horrified to find Emily tailing him rather well. _Nothing is ever easy for me, is it?_ He thought with a slight tick of irritation. Grabbing onto a metal pole he swung himself to the left, bent his knees, and launched himself over a large brick wall. Sticking out a leg to land on as he jumped.

And then his boot collided with Bon's face. Time seemed to slow as gravity brought Rin down, his face paling and eyes widening as he was forced to listen to the sound of his foot impacting the other. They crashed together with a loud 'oof!' and a tangled mass of limbs.

"Bon!" Shima cried.

"Okumura-san!" Konekomaru squeaked in surprise.

"Get _off_ you _asshole_!" snarled the former. Rin quickly scrambled to his feet and avoided a punch on Bon's behalf.

"Sorry, I didn't see you coming," Rin grimaced apologetically, momentarily forgetting about the reason why he had leaped the wall to begin with.

"That's my line," grumbled Bon as he nursed a bruised nose.

"What are you doing anyway, Okumura-san?" Konekomaru asked innocently. Just then there was the sound of scraping sneakers on the other side of the wall as Emily scrambled up the bricks.

"You better run, devil! You better run!" She shrieked.

"Shit. Sorry guys, gotta go," Rin said quickly and then took off again just as a demonic face peaked up from the other side.

"What the hell?" Bon cried and took a step back as she tumbled down and then ran after Rin.

"What the hell is your problem?" Rin called over his shoulder, "Get over yourself already!"

"Not until I break your nose and knock out just as many teeth as you did to Lyle!" She screamed.

"Son of a-" Rin groaned and took a sharp left to avoid a flying book. "Psychotic bitch," he jumped over a trash can, slid underneath a fence, twisted around a group of kids eating lunch. Just when he thought he had lost her she jumped him.

Emily's knees connected hard with Rin's back and she pulled an arm around his throat, tightening her headlock on him viciously. She froze for a moment, however, when she saw the look in Rin's eye. This situation was way too similar to _then_, the day Asteroth tried to turn him into a 'Human barbeque' and he found out about his flames. Unfortunately the girl on his back could not see Rin's clipped flash backs to that time, nor the rising fear as he was suddenly unable to tell past from present. All he saw now was a threat on his back that needed to be eliminated. Emily could see the dangerous spark in his eye, the _literal _snap of flame within the endless blue depths and she retreated slightly. But she was a stubborn girl and would not back down because her imagination was being a little wild. She tightened her hold on his neck, cutting off his availability to air without actually knowing what she was doing. Her father knew some kung fu and he'd once taught her how to defend herself. The only thing she'd actually paid attention to was the headlock because she thought it was seductive.

Gasping for air, images of killing the girl on top of him flashed through his mind, mixing with the memories of three and a half months ago. If she didn't let him go soon, Rin would lose control. At the present being he could very, very easily slip from her grasp and break her neck but before he could she was lifted into the air.

The blond squealed when Bon grabbed her and took several steps back from Rin, giving him room to breathe and regain control. Heaving, Rin continued to glare pure, furious, **death** at Emily and upon noticing the gaze all color drained from her face.

_He really is an animal,_ she thought. Shaking his head hard Rin wormed his way away from the tormenting images and came to realize the present situation.

There was Bon holding onto Emily, Konekomaru who was asking him if he was alright, and Shima trying to calm down the now terrified girl.

"Yeah, Konekomaru, I'm okay. Just a little winded is all," Rin assured the bald monk, massaging his throat as he got up.

"Are you sure you're all right?" the other pressed.

"Positive. Sorry if I scared you, by the way," he added, knowing that Konekomaru was always one he had to be most careful with when it came to his flames.

"Okay…"

Smack. Bam. Biff. "Let me go, you filthy bastard!" Emily.

"Just take it easy, you're going to hurt yourself!" Shima.

There was the sound of her elbow burrowing itself in Bon's side and he cursed at the weak attempt.

"Would you. Shut. The fuck. _Up_?" the last word was punctuated by his head smashing into Emily's and she was unconscious in seconds.

"Christ, what did you do to her Okumura?" Shima asked as he looked the girl over once, just to be safe.

"W-what did _I _do? She just tried to kill me!" Rin sputtered.

"Oh yeah, didn't she say something about you breaking her boyfriend's nose?" Konekomaru commented thoughtfully.

Rin hesitated and looked away, "that… that was years ago." A strange look crossed through Rin's eyes, one they hadn't seen before. It was gone before anyone could decipher the enigmamatic emotion. "Anyway, we should probably take her to the nurse or something," he pointed to Emily.

"Y-yeah…" Bon trailed off, but didn't move.

"Aya? What happened to all that rage, stupid gorilla?" Rin teased, pushing back the times of old and moving forward with the here and now. These words snapped Bon out of whatever trance he had been in and he lurched forward, delivering a vicious head butt to the unprepared Rin. "Ow, what the hell was that-!"

"_Shut up you little prick; this is all your fault to begin with!" _

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><p><strong>See Rin? This is why women are s<strong>_**cary **_**XD. But really, Emily is tid bit reallycrazyandshouldprobablybeinamentalinstitution .**

…**what? I didn't say anything~**

**I realize that this is Japan and the characters Emily and Lyle both have American names. I will point out that I do not feel the need to change them. Because, come on, who honestly cares about never-to-be-mentioned again side characters? Well, Emily _may _be mentioned again but meeeh. **

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**SamVilRico: ***laughs evilly* YES! *fist pumps* XD Glad to know I could freak you out enough the prevent sleep. :D lol, sleep while u can~

**Howlingwindofthestorm: **I do too, like a lot. Which is why I thought that a doll would be a prime subject to use for this. Especially the old ones, *shudders* the old, falling apart, watch-you-as-you-sleep dolls. I was at my grandma's house once, in one of the master bedrooms and next to the bed is an entire WALL of old dolls. There was a thunder storm that night. I was sleeping right underneath them in that room…. *shudders* LOL, but just as a warning. My brains been blanking a little on ideas for chapters. The one below is my last idea. If you got any ideas I'd love to hear em. Else I gotta refrain from updating for a while and search for things to write about. Because once I start writing on badish ideas I start making the characters a little OOC. NYYRAAAAGGEEE I hate Writers Block so much! D:

**Manna Kallat: **Rotfl, XD sleep deprivation YES! Now you know what Rin feels like XD XD. Glad to hear it~ I'm actually afraid of ghosts too, but not ridiculously so. What I'm really afraid of is the Grudge girl thing from the Ring. haha

**PeachTeaKT:** Yeah she did, she was supposed to haunt the well too and Rin was going to be all like: OMGWATER-wwaaaiitt. Fack. But I thought that would be straying from the original plot line so I left it out. Ohhh~ Okiku inspired the Ring? I didn't know that, very interesting. I think you just gave me a new chapter idea ) I love horror too! My dad and I will stay up late sometimes watching scary movies Thank you, I used to write little horror drabbles when I was a kid so I've had some good experience in the art of fear. I know, but for those who don't really like horror, I tend to jab at a little. "Heeeyy~ You wana watch the Life of Undead with meeee~?" I'm so cruel to my friends. I'll try to keep writing but I'm starting to hit a wall. It really helps to get reviews tho because I get little ideas in every reply, so keep them reviews a comin!

**Rose202: **Thank you~ That was the goal, make it demon-like and scary enough to keep you awake. At the very least get a heart rate going a bit quicker ;) Soon? Pfah! I'm gunna update the next friggn DAY man! Well actually after this I got stuff to do so maybe not again today… But hopefully tomorrow XD


	11. Angel vs Demon

**Finally, its heeeerrreeee! I had to skip breakfast for this, you be thankful now! XD but jk lol, you don't have to be thankful, tho it would be nice. But no srsly, I'm going to go make myself lunch. Enjooooy!**

**The Angel is the Devil.**

**And The Devil is the Angel.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao No Exorcist.**

Angel vs. Demon:

Everyone on the outside knew Arthur Agusto Angel as just what his name referred to. But those on the inside, like Shura, knew him to be the devil; behaving in an unethical manner and discriminating against anything sharing as much as an atom of similarity with any kind of demon. And Rin still had the scar on his leg to prove it. If asked about it he would scoff and say "'heal soon enough' my ass! Did you know he washes his sword with holy water? My leg was sore for weeks!" Well okay, he might not openly express his pain like that, but he was certainly thinking that way. So Rin had a damn good reason to hate this 'angel' that was the vaction's pet. However, it was also a reason to fear him.

So when Shura burst through the classroom door, grabbed Rin and tossed him in the closet at the back of the room he barely made a sound. Instinct told him that if he complained or tried to so much as squeak whilst in the small broom closet he would likely find himself with a very sore foot again, if he was lucky.

"Where is he?" the white haired man asked calmly. There was a heavy atmosphere in the class as Shura replied.

"Who?"

"Don't mess around, Kirigakure-sempai," the 'sempai' sarcastic and forced coming from Arthur's tongue. "I'm talking about Satan's Spawn, where have you hidden him? It's time for me to train him."

Shura 'tched' at the name the 'holy' man had dubbed Rin. "_Rin_ is with his brother, training. Yew still have a half an hour before yewr half begins." An agreement had been made with Girigori after they had found out that Shura had removed the bind on Rin's tail; that he would not only be trained by his brother and Shura but the paladin himself. They wanted to test the loyalty and control of both individuals, much to Arthur's chagrin. Not to mention that it would provide a quick resolve is things got nasty.

"And where might that be?"

"Oh?~" Shura cooed mockingly, "The great Paladin can't find a demon~? Not quite so tough, are ya?" She laughed and if he was permitted to Arthur surly would have swung his sword. He almost let his calm composure slip before he scoffed and turned away.

"If I cannot find the beast in the training hall I will be returning," and then he was gone. The very moment his footsteps faded down the hall Shura pulled Rin from the closet- who acted as if the entire time he'd been holding his breath- ignored everyone else in the room and began shoving the boy towards the door at a hurried pace.

"It will take Arthur at least 10 minutes to check the hall, in that time I want you to make a break for it," she told him and reached for her magic keys. _Oh Fuck! _She thought when she realized she had forgotten them at her apartment. "Son of a, I forgot my keys!"

"You what now?" Rin asked face paling.

"Just run then, go, go-!" The second that the blue haired demon was shoved through that door his chest came a millimeter from being run-through by Arthur's sharp sword. If he hadn't rolled on the ball of his heel to avoid it then he may as well have died right then and there.

"I knew you were hiding him. Shura, just whose side are you on?" Angel asked vehemently, ignoring the sound of Rin's classmates protesting in the background.

Shura narrowed her eyes and said nothing as the white haired paladin dragged Rin away.

"Hey!" the boy cried, "let me go!"

"Oi, hold on a second…" Bon tried weakly but Angel didn't stop and before anyone could do a thing further he was gone.

"Damn bastard," Shura growled.

"Wait a minute," Izumo cried, "the paladin, the very same paladin that tried to kill him, is training Rin?"

"Yep," Shura replied and when Shima opened his mouth to voice his own protest, "It was an order from the Girigory themselves, we had no other choice. Now if all of yew could just shut up perhaps we can get through this lesson and yew guys can see Rin during PE." Red hair swaying she walked to the front of the room and began to write on the chalk board.

PE, 2 hours later:

Rin sat against the wall, gasping for breath with blood pouring down his steaming arm. Arthur had allowed him a 10 minute break from this nightmare obstacle course, specially designed for exorcists to fight demons. All the holy water, silver bullets, and seals that surrounded him meant death if he stepped in the wrong area. One of said silver bullets had managed to knick his arm just now and crimson liquid freely fell from the wound as his tired body struggled to heal it. Apart from his arm, Rin's only other wound was in his eyes. The reason as to why he had be allowed to rest. Some kind of foreign substance had shot out of the wall and hit him dead in the face. His body had repelled it with all that it had, flames bursting forth to heal the damage. While the substance had been wiped from his system, Rin found that he couldn't open his eyes at all without a painful pins-and-needles sensation and a type of blurry atmosphere that was too thick for him to see his own hand in.

"You damn bastard," Rin panted quietly. If he openly cursed the man to his face it meant harsher training and right now Rin wasn't sure he could take the elder man's blade.

"Oh my god! Rin?" That voice was, Izumo?

"Rin, are you alright?" a hand was placed on his shoulder.

His response was automatic; jerk to his feet, blast out a defensive wall of flame, and growl. He leaned against the stone behind him and Rin imagined that he probably looked like an animal backed into a corner right then. He knew Arthur was unafraid of using real shape shifting demons and had done so before during his training. This meaning Rin had no idea if the people before him were really his friends or some demons come to whisk him off to Satan's throne.

"Okmura calm down, it's us. Bon, Shima, Konekomaru, Sheimi-san, Izumo and Takara!" the voice was familiar and after a moment Rin realized it was Suguro, the real Suguro. He let out a relieved sigh and slid back down.

A voice spoke over the intercom as his friends rushed to his aid, "You have eight more minutes left, demon."

Bon scowled up at the small, black speaker while Sheimi looked at Rin's arm. For a moment she couldn't help but be awed at how the skin knitted itself back together so quickly, and it was only after she realized how long she'd been staring that she jerked back.

"Sheimi?" Rin guessed, trying to open an eye and failing horribly.

"Right, sorry," she said and looked up to see his eyes still closed.

"That guys a real ass," Shima commented, "this is going too far."

"Konekomaru? Is that you?" Rin asked, unable to tell the difference between the two boys' voices. Time suddenly seemed to freeze.

"Rin…can you- can you not see?" Bon asked in horror and Rin rubbed his eyes.

"I can see a little," he said and tried opening the blue orbs again, finding to his delight that his vision had become a little clearer. The sting was still there though, so Rin was forced to close his eyes again. "It's just taking a little longer to heal," he said.

"How did this happen?" Konekomaru asked. Next to him Bon clenched his fists and scowled angrily.

"I was hit in the face with some weird kind of toxic gas…" Rin trailed off.

"5 more minutes, spawn. You kids better get off the course immediately," Angel said and then in a voice dripping with fake kindness, "I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt."

"Course?" Izumo asked and looked around for any of the obstacles. She figured, after not finding anything, that it was one of those pop-up courses where everything would lower into the ground when put on standby.

"Hurt us…?" Bon snarled viciously, "what the hell do you think you're doing to Okumura?" He hollered looking like he was going to run straight to the com room and punch the paladin in the face. For good measure the two other Arias-in-training grabbed him, pulling the furious youth back.

"Bon calm down!" Konekomaru squeaked.

"This is no time to pick a fight with a paladin!" Shima cried. Rin felt a small spark light behind his eyes and held back a cry as pain popped into them for a moment. Sheimi noticed him wince a bit, however, and was about to ask him what was wrong when he finally managed to open his eyes.

Shiemi smiled, relived that the damage wasn't permanent and asked, "do they feel better?"

Rin nodded, smiling back before turning to the still struggling monks.

And then promptly whacked Bon in the face. "If you wanna get me back wait till after class," Rin smirked evilly.

"You bastard…" Bon hissed but could not hide the relief in his eyes at seeing his friend's sight returned.

"For now you guys should probably get off the course…"

"What? No way! This guy's is trying to kill you! You-" Bon was cut off however by the determined look in Rin's eyes.

"I will not lose," he said simply. Everyone was silent for the next couple of seconds before Konekomaru opened his mouth.

"Okumura-san," he began, words of protest balanced on the tip of his tongue.

"Fine, I'll be waiting to beat you up later," Bon growled and began to walk towards their PE room.

"Bon!" Shima said, a little surprised the gruff teen had agreed to leave with so little protest.

"1 more minute. It's best you follow your friend there…" Arthur said something else but no-one was listening. Well no-one but Rin, and he was only half listening because it might be something about the next obstacle and could possibly help him.

As the rest of his friends reluctantly left, Bon stopped and muttered one last thing to his demon friend.

_"Don't lose, you stupid monkey."_

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><p><strong>XD aww, Bon you're so nice~ <strong>

**I had a bit of trouble with this one for several reasons;**

**1) ****I have said before that schools starting up and I want to be prepared.**

**2) ****I didn't how the fuck to end it! I had a couple of options but there was always one thing at the end that just couldn't work! Like Arthur can't lose his job no matter how much we want him to.**

**Deeeefinately NOT my best, as many of you have probably realized. XD**

**Anyway, thanks for all your lovely reviews. It's nice to come home after a long day and see that I have 10 more people who put up comments, thank youuuuu~!**

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**FullmetalFan16: **yeah that's actually one of my top ideas. I was going to write it sooner but my schedule is a little bit wicked right now. So I'm going to wait for some kind of snow day this year where I can snuggle up in bed with my laptop and spend 3 hours writing that one. So many ideas so little time XD White haired dude would definitely be involved along with his circle-jerk but one I need to find out his actual name first and two I don't think they're gunna just go "BAM, IM IN YOUR CHURCH!" because if they did that the guys that worked there would just kinda be like, "GTFO bitch," and kick him out. They were working with a paladin so they're probably gunna be pretty strong. I may go with- ah, spoilers~ Can't tell ya just yet XD It's a shame, I have all the ideas for this one but just no friggn time! At the very least I can tell you that idea might pull itself over into two chapters ;D Thank you, I really enjoy reading your reviews to them ^ ^

**Kikwoka: **Haha, thank you. The story adores you too XD ^ ^ Most of the facts I have on demons in this I actually make up myself. Using logic as well as creativity with the demons tail chapter. The one where Shura uses Rin as an example. In later chapters though I think I might have Yukio sit him down and shove some books into his lap and say "Im going to watch as you read each and everyone one of these carefully," and then just kinda stare at him. Rin will be like, faaaaaakk. But yeah, I hope to put in more info on crazy ass demons I like reading stories where he's in trouble as well so don't feel bad about that XD Thank you, yeah I've seen those typos in there. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with fanfiction's uploading system because when I go over my stories in word those are never there. *shakes fist* OOOOHH! I knew something sounded weird with the way I was phrasn' that! Kyoto, got it. I'll go over and fix that, thank you. And you're welcome :D

**4I2: **hahahaha, thank you so much X3 My updates will be more varied than before, where I uploaded 2 chapters a day because of how busy I am. But every now and again I'll put up things, little snippets and stuff.

**PrincessFuFU: **(holy crap your name is awesome, reminds me of Bonbon! XD That should definitely become a new name for Bon. Rin's gunna be pummeled XD) Birthday cake, huh? I read your comment a while back and I sat back thinking about it. It's an awesome idea but who would he make it for? He could do it for Sheimi and it would make perfect sense because he likes her. But I don't know because I want to keep them as more of friends in this one. I actually tried using an idea similar to that earlier on in the story, lighting the candles with his tail I mean. Maybe I can squeeze it in this Saturday or something. Thank you!

**Hartanna:** I'm glad you like it~! *looks at you with a black fighter-pilots hat on, weird ass goggles, and a scooby doo costume on* 'laughing'? What are you talking about? XD I'm glad you enjoy them enough to laugh and come on. I laugh in my room all the time and don't even bother with being subtle if it's funny enough. XD Tho I guess my lack of embarrassment might be because my older sister runs around the house screaming the Indiana Jones and Batman themes. XD Don't be ashamed, more like count how many weird looks u can get in a day. It'll become a contest! Hahaha, now don't go raping the fav button there. I'm glad you're so ecstatic to read! Thank you for reviewing!

**yarra: **hahaha, I see your point there. I thought the same thing when I was looking at it a while ago. But I can't quite figure out how to fix it. I want to keep the synopsis how it is because it brings people in pretty well. What do you think for changing it to Humor/friendship? *fist pumps the air* oh yeah! I really hate yaoi, and thought that with all that war of frilly love and shit going on I wanted to make something a little different. I will, I will~ I enjoy writing for you, just time is not really my friend lately. It will be a few months before I can find a window week to start beating at my keys again XD Hahaha, I enjoy being who I am *bikes to school with a cape on at 6 in the morning, "Wheeeeee" I've actually done that too. Hahaha, Bon: "I'm holding a psycho bitch in my arms…what do I do with it?" And hmmm, POV's of the non-exorcist students… That sounds like fun, you mean like what they think of him? I don't think I'm going to really focus much on them, but I can do a chapter on how some of his class mates view him.

**dragonchikfan: **Scary doll is scary XD To think that Scooby doo could pull of something frightening to begin with is scary in itself.

**WatchOutForWendigos: **Oh yup! I was listening to a song called "Run Devil Run" by Ke$ha I think at the time on the radio. Seemed kinda fitting XD That and "Psycho Bitch" by Lesley Roy.

**Okumura-Rin: **hehehe *puts on a cape and does a retarded superhero pose* XD

**storiewriter: **Thank you. Okay, thanks for letting me know. I'll keep those to a minimum and try to only use them when necessary. Like for important facts and things, even then I may just put them in the comment section afterwards. I didn't realize I was getting a bit ahead of myself there, thanks XD


	12. Power

**Reviews: **

**yarra: Politcs suck XD Though maybe I can beat Arthur up later, we'll see if I can find time to write it. I was a bit miffed at how Bon acted but that was basically it. I think I may have fixed it anyway so it's all good now. XD No need to tell me, most people don't like him too much XD I hate him too, his sword more so than himself actually. Such an annoying piece of sacred metal! It's squeaky voice is just *shudders* reminds me of one of those over-the-top-completely-obsessed-give-me-a-strand-of-your-hair-so-i-can-smell-it-at-night fangirls. Eeeeerrrgh.**

**Lycanrai Moraine: 'Owwwwn' ? XD thank you, I missed writing.**

**Hartanna: XD hooray! Yeah maybe next time, make sure you laugh really loud. Arthur is weird, I wonder what his backstory is to hating demons is… He is, he is~ I agree Rin is totally cooler. He is more like the angel than a demon which is why in the title for that chapter I said Angel (Rin) vs. Demon (Arthur) XD**

**love-of-fire: Thank you~ I try to connect them in any way I can but it's not always easy and sometimes I forget. If you ever see me do that feel free to correct me XD. I will try and add some more Yukio, hope to do an entire chapter biased on him trying to get Rin to study or something. I'm glad that you enjoy reading them so much. **

**bluelove22: Thank you! I'm really glad that it's lived up to your expectations. Actiony and epic, niiice! There will be so chapters with real fighting scenes in the future too, I look forward to writing those. **

**howlingwindofthestorm: Thankies! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. **

**PrincessFuFU's review reminded me of this idea. **

**Discaimer: *groans* I don't own Ao no exorcist**

Power:

Everything had gone dark, leaving Rin and Ukobach standing in the kitchen wondering what to do about the unfinished meal that they had decided to cook. Meat was undercooked, the fried rice hadn't finished, and the water that the potatoes sat in could not boil. When the power had left them only moments before the two demons heard the sound of someone letting out a surprised cry from above followed by something hitting the floor. Somewhere in that quick jumble of sounds there was a loud meow as whoever it was that fell came a little too close to falling on Kuro. An amused smile had broken over Rin's face and he briefly considered that the cry was Sheimi's.

His friends were all staying over for another week to do their classes in the abandoned dorms due to a mess up on Shura's part and there now being no class room to teach in. His lessons were taught separately so he didn't have to be in the classroom all the time as he was usually training with Shura or Yukio. But since his younger brother was teaching at home he had decided to have Rin listen to his classes instead of teaching him individually. This still had its issues however. Since all of his classmates were staying over due to a nasty blizzard outside he had to get downstairs and make dinner a little earlier than usual. Yukio had forgotten all about how Rin was the one who normally made dinner (A.N: since it was normally just the two of them Rin was all that was needed to cook dinner. Ukobach could cook with him but Rin felt like the help was unneeded.)

Because of this Yukio had assumed his brother attempting to sneak out of class when he'd said that he needed to 'take his leave now'. Now that he thought about it Rin figured his choice of words probably hadn't been all that great. In any case, after a moment of Yukio being untrusting Rin finally said, "Hey, brain-boy. Six more people means six times the amount of food. You want to eat Shoga Yaki Pork at 1:25 in the morning you can cook it yourself." The room had grown silent at that before Yukio pushed his glasses farther up on his nose and cleared his throat.

"Right," he had said awkwardly, "go ahead then." With a satisfied smile Rin had vacated the room and asked Ukobach to help him cook. Now he stood with his yellow apron on and a soup spoon in his hand in the middle of stirring some fried rice when the power suddenly decided to go.

In the dark he could see Ukobach look at him and then ask with a series of warbles and clicks, "Well, what are you doing? We're not finished cooking."

"The powers out, how are we going to cook without the stove?" Rin asked with a raised eyebrow as he set the pan down.

"You have your own heat source, don't you?" squeaked the small demon. An imaginary light bulb flickered to life above his head as Rin realized what his cooking friend was suggesting.

"You mean…" He said and trailed off for a moment. "Would that really be alright? My flames aren't exactly cooking material." Ukobach looked at him, cocked his head to the side and squealed;

"Can't you adjust the temperature to your own needs?" Rin stood thinking about it for a moment before finally just shrugging, putting a hand under the pot and focused on letting his flames flow out into that one spot. It took a while but he eventually managed to gain proper heat control and continued to cook. Ukobach, who also hadn't finished cooking the beef slices stood over Rin's tail with a suspicious look on his face. "Focus your flames to your tail for me, please," Ukobach asked politely in his own demon tongue. When speaking to a demon about his or her tail, especially a high-class demon, you were expected to hold the utmost respect. It was one of the various reasons demons hated the frilly humans that pranced happily above them, they never stopped in their infuriating tugging of a demons tail. It was a limb regarded with high respect and Rin's was the type where if you were to so much as breathe on it you would pay. Not just because of his instinctive reaction but because his brothers might find out. Or even worse, Satan himself. It was probably one of the reasons that led to Amamion's demise.

Rin stopped his stirring and closed his eyes, imagining flames bursting from his tail. It was just like with the candles, he had to take things calmly and picture what he wanted in his head. When Ukobach let out an affirmative squeak he stopped raising the temperature and then continued with the rice, adding different vegetables as he went.

A few minutes passed and Rin sensed footsteps nearing, along with his friends' voices drifting in from down the hall.

"Uwa! Something smells delicious!" Sheimi cried.

"I wonder what Okumura-san is making," pondered Konekomaru.

"Whatever it is I can't wait to eat it. I'm starving!" Shima drooled.

"Ew, don't drool like that it's disgusting!" Izumo complained as they reached the kitchen with flashlights in hand.

Bon scoffed, "I just hope it's edible." He seemed to be forgetting the time when they last all had a training camp together and Rin had made everyone curry. Whether his sudden memory loss was on purpose or not would never be known.

"Oh shut up Bonbon or else I'll put a rotten tomato in your fried rice," Rin called from where he was adding the finished shrimp to said rice.

"Don't call me Bonbon, ya damn blueberry!" Bon shrieked.

"Blueberry? Why don't you go and wake everyone up in the morning like a regular rooster?"

"What?" the two exorcists probably would have continued to argue with each other if it hadn't been for Ukobach throwing a spoon at the back of Rin's head and another at Bon's nose.

"How's the food coming?" Yukio asked with an amused smile as Rin scowled at his cooking companion and rubbed the back of his head.

"Good, all we need to do is dish everything up and we're finished," the blue haired exorcist explained. Ukobach was behind him pouring sauce into the little red bowls next to the main course and gave an affirmative warble.

"Alright, Konekomaru and I will be getting those lanterns we have in the closet right next door. We'll be back in a bit," Yukio said.

"Okay, watch out-" Rin didn't get to finish telling his brother about the chair that stood in his path and there was the sound of said furniture falling over. Yukio would have landed right on top of it if he hadn't managed to catch his balance in time. The elder Okumura watched his younger sibling grab his flashlight off the table and leave with a flustered look on his face, remembering how he would always have to guide him around the monastery when they were kids if a black out hit. That and Yukio would never leave his side because he was too scared.

Picking up a spoon he began to help his companion dish up. It was moments like that in which Rin really felt like an older brother and he kind of liked black outs because he could still tease Yukio about being unable to see anything. He must have had a nostalgic look on his face because Ukobach released a series of prompting clicks.

Rin laughed and said, "just thinking is all."

"Well that's a first," Bon jeered and before Rin could retort Izumo spoke up.

"Can you see in the dark?" She asked blatantly.

"Yeah, I can see everything just as it was if the lights were on," Rin confirmed.

"That's really handy," Sheimi commented. Their conversation stayed calm like this until the lanterns had been set up and all the food had been dished out.

"Itidakimatsu!" Everyone said in unison and then dug into their still warm meals.

"Oh! Delicious!" cried Sheimi.

"And I thought that his curry would put any royal family to shame," Shima said.

_This is incredible_, Izumo thought with wide eyes.

"More than edible this is extremely good!" Bon commented in awe before he could stop himself. Rin just smiled obnoxiously at the praise he was given until Yukio laughed and added,

"Now if only you worked as hard on your studies as you did on your cooking!"

"Shut up spotty-four-eyes!" Rin growled playfully.

"How did you cook this anyway?" Konekomaru asked having already devoured his fried rice.

"Woah, you really eat fast don't you, Koneko-san," Shima commented with a wide-eyed look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked.

"The power went out, what did you use to cook with?"

"Oh, I just used my flames."

"WHAT?" everyone cried out in surprise.

After the initial shock and an impressed look from Yukio at being able to control his flames so well the conversation died down into more mindless topics and Rin relaxed. It was weird how when he still thought he was a normal human being, conversations with people outside of the monastery were rare and usually violent in nature. Now he could just talk freely with his friends, argue with them and laugh with them despite knowing what he was. Perhaps God didn't hate him as much as he thought he did.

**GOTTAGOFINISHWORKIGNNOWBYE!**

**(There are probably more errors in this one, I'll have to go over them some time. Right now I really gotta go!) **


	13. October Blues

**Disclaimer: *from inside bed* mrph mmmf slf gu askroe (I dont own Ao No Exorcist)**

October Blues:

In the classroom, Rin could be many things; a slacker, moron, juvenile delinquent. But most of all he was a good comrade that at the very least _tried _to pay attention during the various lessons they were taught. However, when Rin's A.D.D spread to activities _outside _of the 'place of learning' was when things began to get a bit bothersome.

"Okumura!"

Rin jumped, flying back a few steps with his tail standing on end and a wide-eyed look on his face as someone screamed his name right next to his ear.

"What?" he cried, relaxing a little once he found Bon glaring at him and not the barrel of a gun.

"'What' my ass, didn't you hear what I said?" he grunted, folding tanned arms over his chest. On his way to school Rin and the three Arias-in-training had crossed paths and had decided to continue their walk as a group. Or, it was more like Rin encountered them on the long way to school and invited himself to walk with them.

"Who's a damn monkey, ya fat gorilla?" Rin retorted, breaking off into a yawn a few seconds later as Bon yelled back, "I never even called you a monkey, monkey!"

"Geeze, how much sleep did you get, Okumura-san?" Shima asked with a chuckle of his own.

"You certainly don't look like you got enough," added Konekomaru. Rin just continued to smile and attempt to wave away their concerns with a laugh as Bon spoke again.

"I swear to god, ya stupid blue candle, if you don't hear it this time then you're going to have to spend Halloween in a damn garbage can! We're going to have a party to celebrate on the 31st, everyone will be meeting in the classroom at around 8 and I was just making sure you were coming," the exwire snapped, interrupting the blabber between his friends about Night Fiends. What was expected was for Rin to spit out an irritated protest against Bon's nickname for him and then for him to say he'd be there.

"I'm going to have to pass," Rin pouted childishly, explaining what would result in his absence, "Shura won't let me out for a second and Yukio's been watching me like a hawk lately. Believe me, I've tried multiple times to get out-"the tired look on the other's face suddenly seemed to increase, "I had to get up at four o' clock this morning just to be here."

Now, none of this was necessarily true. He could walk around the dorms just fine without either of the two following him around. And it wasn't like they watched him sleep or anything. It was, however, very true that Rin had woken up at the early hours of the morning due to a particular distraction that kept the sweet tendrils of sleep just out of his grasp.

The blue haired exorcist had hoped that maybe he could enjoy Halloween for the first time this year as back at the monastery he'd had to keep himself locked inside the church as to avoid weird happenings and people trying to kill him. Of all times of the year to have a go at that, why did they always choose to grab pitchforks in _October_? Why does it have to be _that _cliché? In any case, people did not seem to be the cause of his misery this year.

Oh no, this year he was stuck with the big man himself; Satan.

Of _course_ he had to be more powerful over the duration of _this particular _month. And of _course _he had to be able to talk to his youngest son telepathically and attempt to take control over him. And above all _of __**course **_he had to drive Rin to the very brink of sanity so it was all he could do to just glance at his precious friends before the bastard had to start prattling on about how much Rin hated them and how they deserved to die. His 'father's' whispers had been haunting the teen lately and keeping his appetite, attention, and sleep just beyond the tips of his extended fingers. Close enough to see and long for but too far away to reach.

"Sounds horrible, Okumura-san," Konekomaru sympathized.

"Shesh, the vaction really has no mercy, huh?" Shima slung an arm around Rin's shoulders and the other bit the inside of his lip when Satan's voice intensified. For a brief moment of horror he thought he could see a suspicious flicker pass through Bon's eyes but it was gone before he could be sure and they were running up the steps to school.

The next few weeks went along in a similar fashion and Rin managed to push aside the voice and keep his friends unconcerned- mostly. Sometimes during his exorcist classes he would accumulate a rather unwelcome headache, or he may be a touch more irritated than usual. Aside from these little things though, his friends had no reason to suspect him of anything.

At least until their Psychology class began to touch the subject of preventing a demon from getting into your mind and controlling you with whispers of false desires. It was a class that Yukio had insisted he take due to the circumstances that they did not know enough about demons manipulating other demons.

Shura's pointer cracked against the chalk board as she gestured to a chart with a list of emotions, saying; "demons will almost always try to sway yewr beliefs and use those mental weaknesses to their advantage. There are some that can see into yewr very memories and use them to bend yew to their will. Any kind of doubt yew have, guilt, sorrows, regret, and especially hate can and will be used against yew."

Just as in every other class, Rin was failing to pay attention. Much to the blue haired exorcist's frustration he still found he couldn't bring himself to listen in these classes, dozing in and out as Shura spoke.

"Any of yew know what kind of demon is capable of doing this?" the red-head droned, sounding about as bored as she looked from her sitting position on the teachers desk. "And I mean a low-class demon. Not any of those bigwigs like one of the eight-sub kings, since we all know they can," she looked at Rin and frowned irritably, "well, most of them anyway." Kamiki's hand stuck out into the air. "Great! Shima, tell us all about it~!" grinned the woman mischievously.

"Eh? But I didn't raise my-"the pink-haired monk began to protest.

"What makes you think you gotta raise your hand?" a dark look swept through her eyes, "Starting today I getta call on whoever," she smiled, looking forward to seeing just how many of these students paid attention. There was a pool going around among the staff concerning her teaching methods and people were betting on how long it took before the students started failing. "Right! For every wrong answer yew gotta stay after class and help clean out Coal Tars!"

A chorus of disbelieving 'eh?'s from the exwires resulted after her sudden proclamation and Shura frowned slightly when Rin's voice was not among them.

He was sleeping.

_That little…! _She managed to prevent herself from throwing one of her shoes at him again with a quick reminder of what would be coming next.

"Am I gunna be seeing you after class or are you gunna quit whining and answer the damn question already?" she demanded.

"A Jack-O-Lantern," answered the aria-in-training quickly.

"Bingo~!" leaping gracefully off of her perch on the wooden desk, the vixen teacher reached into a drawer and pulled out a small pumpkin. Inside a blazing fire lit up the creature's eyes and other facial orifices as it growled and spat in her palm. If it hadn't been for the fact that it belonged to a tamer then the little demon probably would have already started trying to manipulate a good number of the students.

Holding up the little thing she explained, "this one is probably ok since it happens to be tamed already-"

From where Izumo sat she scowled, "probably?"

"-but don't let its size fool you. The smaller Jack-O-Lanterns are several times more dangerous than the larger counterpart and are pretty hard to detect," Shura continued, not seeming to notice.

She strolled over to Rin's desk as she explained, "Because they're smaller their minds are more concentrated on taking over yours. Not to mention Jack-O-Lanterns are pretty much impossible to crush at this size due to having a reinforced protective shell aided by thicker skin," from her place next to the snoozing Rin, Sheimi looked up to her teacher with a worried gaze.

"Kirigakure-san, you're not going to use Rin as a visual representation again, are you?" she asked.

Shura laughed evilly and replied, "don't worry, don't worry~ This kid's made of tough stuff. Besides, how else is he gunna learn to stop falling asleep in my classes?" The second she finished saying this, the fiery-haired woman deposited the brightly lit pumpkin right in front of Rin.

A few seconds passed where nothing visible happened until Rin's tail began slowly passing back and forth. Konekomaru allowed his eyebrows to fold together a little as the seemingly calm movement mimicked that of an irritated cat, an irritated cat ready to make a swipe. The Jack-O-Lantern's grin faltered at the growl that escaped past the blue haired exwire's jaws, but it did not stop pressing. It had initially looked excited to have been given some prey to corrupt but before another second passed that formed into horror. A frightened squeal escaped from the poor creature when Rin's tail abruptly snapped, and it cringed back with an uncharacteristic frown.

In an attempt to see better, Bon had stood from his chair and Shima was leaning forward in his seat next to him. Izumo's expression was painted with confused curiosity as she wondered what was going on in her comrade's mind. While Sheimi almost appeared afraid for the manipulating demon that sat a few feet away. They all felt the stressed atmosphere weigh down a little harder, nervously awaiting further action.

A never ending, cerulean blue gradually slid open and the frightened demon found itself staring into the eyes of Gehenna's young prince. Rin's eyes were half-lidded and cold, gazing angrily at the source of his sleeps disturbance.

Shura felt a shudder jostle her skin at the unfamiliar look that sat in place of the usual happy and mischievous, playful blue. Her attention was dragged back to the Jack-O-Lantern a second later as it released a scream, its inner flames changing color. Blue spread explosively from the inside out and melted skin without a moment to spare.

All that was left was a tense atmosphere and awkward silence. Until Rin jerked back in his chair, flying into the corner of the desk behind with a grunt.

"Rin!" Sheimi exclaimed, surprised. The blue-haired exwire sat up on the floor quickly, looking at Shura like a deer-in-headlights.

"I wasn't asleep!" he scrambled lamely, "I was just, um," when he couldn't come up with an excuse Rin paused. Noticing the heavy atmosphere pushed the already disoriented demon into a wave of further confusion. "What?" he asked, looking around at the astonished faces of his friends "was I talking in my sleep or something?"

Rather abruptly, Shura appeared next to the older Okumura with her arms crossed and a face dark with rage. No need to tell him what had just happened.

"I thought you said you _weren't_ sleeping," she hissed and for a moment Rin thought she sounded like a snake.

While he frantically stuttered for an explanation, not wishing for his already aching head to suffer further abuse at the hands of his teacher, Shima let out a sigh of relief.

"That was getting way too real," he groaned, resting his chin on the wood table.

Konekomaru turned to his companion, "I wonder if Okumura-san's ok, though. He's been acting a little odd lately, don't you think?"

"That stupid blueberry, just what isn't he telling us?" snarled Bon, sitting back down. Shura had grabbed the scruff of Rin's shirt, leaning into his face and screeching at him while he screamed back.

Konekomaru did not fail to notice his tail's stiff attempt at pulling itself inwards, creating a 'z' as it did so. And when things finally settled down, Shura returned to her teaching, the steady curling and uncurling of the blue-black appendage also kept to the bald monk's attention. He was hit by a piece of chalk when he endeavored to point this out to Bon and Shima, earning a harsh look from his fiery teacher for his trouble.

The scream fest Rin had had with said woman caused his headache to spiral down, transforming into an unforgiving migraine that throbbed with every soft spoken syllable. He was so focused on the angry porcupine in his head that Konekomaru's glances went unseen. Being right next to him, however, Sheimi was a bit more noticeable and he had to reassure her more than once that he was fine. Even despite this she remained unconvinced as Rin felt the ache in his head get worse and if Shura hadn't dragged him out of the room herself after class, using the excuse of early training, then she most likely would have forced some herbs on him again. His tongue did not appreciate the thought.

Then again, neither did his head when Shura dragged him from the room. His whole world was spinning so violently that he didn't even notice being pushed onto some white blankets or see Yukio come to stand beside him a few moments later. When was the last time he'd eaten a full meal or gotten more than 3 and a half hours of sleep?

The younger Okumura was saying something that Rin could not seem to make out, the world sounding as it would were he underwater. He could feel Yukio watching him attempt to regain equilibrium from the white infirmary bed he lay on, and guessing from the smell of the sheets it was one of the ones found in their dorms. When did Shura use one of those transport keys? Something pricked his arm a moment later and despite his younger brother's voice finally managing to form comprehensible words, Rin found himself struggling to stay awake.

"The possibility is pretty high, especially considering his heritage. But," he trailed off.

"What? Spit it out, Spotty Four Eyes- we haven't got all day for this," replied Shura, a tick below her eye.

"Nii-san has been acting disturbed recently," Yukio spoke quietly, turning away and grabbing something that caused a loud 'tinking' sound.

A cork popped off, making Rin flinch and squeeze his eyes shut. He felt both persons look at him with uncharacteristic concern and his tail flickered nervously.

"What should we do if the test comes up positive?" Shura asked seriously.

"If Satan really is sharing a telepathic connection to Nii-san, we'll have to start treating him a little differently," Yukio's voice sounded a little farther off as he played with what smelled like a combination of odd chemicals on the counter nearby. _They found out? How? _Rin thought frantically.

"You mean like a suicidal?" Rin couldn't stop his tail from thumping against the sheets in an offended manner. There was no way he'd stoop so low as to try something so stupid.

"No, doing that would make things worse. I meant like making sure he actually eats enough and helping to distract him if he's getting stressed would make the difference we need. It should just be until the end of the month where Satan's power over Assiah drops back. But that's just if the test is positive," Yukio trailed off, growing silent as he let a single drop of his brother's blood fall into each of the seven test tubes lined up. Three times Rin heard an obnoxious fizzle, each time the air grew more and more tense. However, it wasn't until his kid brother reached the final test tube that he found himself bathed in a blue light for no more than a whisper of a second and the horrified silence that hung over him afterwards that he knew something was really wrong.

"Positive."

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><p><strong>HAHAHAHA, this is WAY, WAY, WAY outta character isn't it? XD I tried, not quite fully got a hold of the characteristics yet. Cause getting some of these guy's attitudes based on the situation is harder than it looks. <strong>

**Well, tell me what you think needs to be changed and I'll be more than happy to go over it for yas ;P XD**

**Anyway….**

**Guess who, bitches? XD GOD I've been busy - Got three new cats, a new job, school, something akin to cram classes after school three days a week and more. Gotta think about sending out collage applications and take one of dem kitties to the vet tomorrow. Geeze, having ppl run after me doesn't really help much either. Grrr, its 10:46 im hungry and I gosta get up at 5:40 tomorrow T-T **

**AWAYS!**

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><p>REVIEWS:<p>

**9tail-Naruto: **^ ^ glad that you enjoy the read, I hope I can write more soon too. REALLY BUSY. XD

**WatchOutForWendigos (chappy 11): **I'm pleasant company? The guys a fucker and you know it, no need to hold back XD Hahahahaha, sounds like my friends a bit ;) Yeap~! I really enjoy writing about that kind of bond, look forward to doin more laters!

**WatchOutForWendigos (chappy 12): **Exactly, he totally seems like the kind of guy that never tries to do well in things like cooking. XD I thought people might like that, I mean, its clever. Too clever for Rin, how the hell did he think to do that? And who knew he could control his flames so well? Good, good ^ ^ Izumo is pretty fun to write but its because of that calm intelligence that makes her a bit difficult to get into character. Yukio can be a nightmare sometimes ^ I agree in that respect, the others are too soft or uncomfortable about Rin being a demon since all of them have some sort of bad relation to them in the past. XD he TOTALLY looks like a rooster tho, doesn't he? XD XD

**PrincessFuFU: **XD same, it was a fun idea ^ ^ It certainly has a number of awesome uses, tho it does come with the price of sensitivity. I wonder what would happen if someone stepped on it…Oo Totally XD Glad you like~!

**xxSweet Memory: **rocks? Where? XD thanks, I'm glad you like it so much! I would have to agree with you on the second one, so far my fav is also the chappy where she uses Rin as her teaching tool. (not this one) His sword DEFFINATELY scares little kids. *snaps fingers* ah! Amamion! That's a good idea!*cat farts. Frowns and turns to him* dude, totally ruined the moment. *cat just purrs* bastard. XD But yeah, for sure that's a really interesting thought. I will definitely try working on that one! (torturing others is very fun, yes)

**yarra: **hahahaha, don't feel ashamed at all. I've said before my updates are REALLY spontaneous, a little less now that I have a really busy schedule (getting up tomorrow is going to HURT) but…ahaha! Bow lower, lower! Ye has to pay a fine to compensate for such intolerable behavior, *shakes head back and forth when saying 'intolerable' to give it that gobble effect). XD nah, ur good, ur good. I'll let you just create songs for me and draw pictures in my honor. XD

**ejqHorseLady:** anono-what-now? *goes and activates it* huh, I haz confused, plz. Cools! Im glad that you like its! ^ ^

**Runningshadow135:** XD I got tired of never finding anything good to read to 'va la!

**baileeTDG: **glag ur glad you found this fic. This fic is glad ur glad you've found it too. :3

**LaMindy:** XD thanks a lot, I appreciate it ^ ^ true, not too many can but there are ppl on here who have kept 100 chappies goin strong. Pretty amazing writers, no? The next chappy has finally arrived so wait no more! XD Thanks for the nice review~

**Lexie:** Glad to hear you enjoy it ^ ^ Yeah, I would think it cool if they could add in little outakes at the end of some chapters focusing on it too. It's a cool aspect and should be explored a little more. Hahahaha, Just reading about some poor kid almost dying and roaring with laughter. Yeah I do that too, s'lotsa fun. Especially when ur doing it in a library XD hahahaha, nice! I like the idea of Rin's tail being used as a light switch, but unfortunately its way too sensitive in my story to be used as such. Would hurt Rin. Hmmmm, well. How about I have Rin get mad at something else and then something else happens and _occurs. (see what I did there, I saved u from spoilers. Trololol) Since I think that Rin's lung may be healed and all XD hahahaha, yes! Clap foooo mee XD

**PINKhairedBADASS: **(I agree, pink hair is VERY badass XD) OMFG thanks for reviewing, do it again! XD (teasing, teasing)

**Runningshadow135: **^ ^ a lot of people seem dissatisfied with his tail's use in the anime/manga so being one of those people I decided to put my writing skills to use. Maybe they could get ppl to stop thinking of it as a **** if they put it in little OVAs or something too, *makes a disgust face*. Yay! I can make you laugh! ^ ^ I plan on adding as much as I can when I can find the time to do so, sometime around next year my schedule should drop a bit more (hope) but for now we'll have to make do. Thanks for the review.

**Illuminati-4: **He's full of surprises isn't he? Will do, Im glad you like em!

**Ok, excuse me if I sound a little loopy in any of these reviews, more so than usual, its 10:38, I've been working since 6:00am and I'm dead tired. - Me gusta ****sueño mucho. I'll check up again after i finish hibernating.**


	14. Adjusting a Pair of Glasses

**So yeah, I wasn't too sure about what to write here. I wanted to do something with Amamion but then I realized;**

**He and Rin are enemies and aside from Amaimon taking off with Rin's stuff and reverse pick-pocketing him out of supreme boredom there wasn't much else I could do. **

**Guys, Amamion's dead. ._. I just remembered :x and yeah, I mean, sure I could go with wee little hamster Amaimon but A) I'm gunna try and follow the manga's line of plot in this (sorta, its where I'll be basing who shows up and stuff and getting my info) and B) how in god's name does a hamster steal someone's left shoe?**

**There is still the option of a battle and (don't worry Runningshadow135, I'd make it as interesting as I could. If you still don't like it then you don't necessarily have to read, though ^ ^) Maybe I'll come up with something in the near future, but for now we're gunna have to settle with a confused contemplative look and helpless shrug. (unless you have some ideas/other to point out ;P) **

**Disclaimer: I dun own Ao No Exorcist**

Adjusting a Pair of Glasses:

_What are you waiting for, boy? _Rin growled and grabbed his head with both hands.

_They betrayed you first! Why have you not yet killed them? _Ignoring the voice of his blood-by-blood father was neigh impossible as he lay, curled up underneath his sheets with the moon rising along a milky, cloud covered current in the sky.

_Come on, they deserve it. You're so much stronger than they are, let's show this world the consequences of fucking with you~! _If words could have a physical form then the King of all Demons would be spewing them coated in blood.

"Shut it," the black haired teen hissed quietly, not wishing to wake his younger brother as he slept on the opposite side of the room. Several days had passed since he and Shura found out about Rin's troubles with Satan. The former had woken up to find Yukio sitting next to him with an unreadable look on his face. A pale lower cheek had twitched moments later when Rin asked groggily, "so what's got you in such a bad mood, grumpy-pumpkin?"

After that he received an exasperated lecture from his younger twin about the 'habit of trying to deal with things alone'.

"_You've got people you can trust, Nii-san. So stop acting like you don't," _he'd said looking into Rin's eyes with worried sincerity. In all truth Rin understood exactly what his brother meant and he knew that he could ask his friends for help. Yet somehow whenever something came up he found himself completely forgetting about this option and focusing solely on keeping his worries tucked away.

It had become more then habit.

On top of this, both Shura and Yukio's methods of 'making him feel better' where starting to make him nervous. They were too conscious of him.

_It's because they're scared of us,_ snickered Satan. Deciding he'd had enough, Rin leapt from his messy nest of white and blue blankets. He contemplated retreating to the roof, the only place he found he could think clearly, when a familiar sound stopped him in his tracks a moment later and Rin slowly turned his head to the window.

Outside sheets of rain shot down from the heavens, pelting everything that stood against it with tiny fists. Replacing the dark navy sky and its dusty layer of bright white stars were thick hordes of dark grey clouds. He was no longer listening to Satan's voice. His gaze glued to the falling heavens Rin decided to stay in the room he shared with his kin.

Quietly gliding on bare feet the exorcist-in-training made his way over to the mahogany desk where he tackled his assignments. Placing one hand on its surface he jumped and swung his body up and around. Sitting cross-legged, watching the rain fall with a thoughtful expression Rin busied himself with a task he was otherwise quite good at.

Ignoring all else and spacing out.

Jagged streaks of white hot lightning split the sky in two like roots through soil. Thunder pushed its low baritone voice out above the earth. With every fading boom it seemed to Rin that the Earth held its breath. Each blade of lightning forcing its inhabitants to cower and attempt to bury themselves back into the folds of darkness. The mass of rain locked them away like the bars of a jail cell. This was one of the few times Rin could marvel at natures serene musicians, sounds no-man made instrument could ever hope to really duplicate, calming him.

He tried to think maybe he was depressed; after all it wasn't like him to be so focused on something like rain. But the idea was banished a moment later when his tail fluttered indignantly. No, he wasn't the least bit despondent. In fact, Rin was sure that if he was more awake he might be in that relaxed state of contentment he often felt when on the roof. If someone were here with him he may have even cracked a lazy spoken joke or two.

"Nii-san?" Yukio's voice startled Rin so bad he almost launched himself off the desk.

"Y-Yukio!" he sputtered, jerkily turning his head to face the younger twin with his eyes wide and mouth forming a deep frown, "what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?"

"What are you doing?" the other continued, completely sidestepping Rin's response.

"I couldn't sleep," he shrugged and with a pout the blue-haired demon allowed his attention to slip back into the rain. "I'm fine, Spotty-Four-Eyes, go back to bed already," the eldest Okumura said this with an amused smile on his face, "you're going to have to work hard tomorrow to keep your glasses on, what with all the running around you'll be doin."

Yukio didn't seem all that amused at his brother's playful jab towards his busy calendar and countered the remark with a reminder of his own; "Rin, have you forgotten about your own schedule?"

He secretly took delight in the demon's surprised stumble back, being sure to make his face completely stoic when his twin jumped up and cried out in outrage, "but it's a Saturday!"

"Meaning you have more time to train with Shura-san," the middle-upper-class exorcist pointed out as he shuffled back down into his sheets. Yukio ignored Rin's horrified, "I'm training with _Shura?_" as he closed his eyes to listen to his elder brother dive back into the untidy mess of sheets, hoping the distraction he provided would be strong enough to keep his mind off of Satan.

As Rin settled and the sounds of rain falling and lightning cracking along with its booming companion of thunder became the lonely outcasts of the night, the tired exorcist added to his mental list of 'to-do's for the next day;

Notify Shura to give Rin some more mental space and lower their levels of obvious concern.

Because if Rin kept getting up in the middle of the night just to find some time to himself then Yukio would be the first to go insane.

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><p><strong>Food! I eat now byeeeeee~!<strong>

**EDIT: okay, its 6:13 in the morning, im eating breakfast (when is that tea going to be done?) and I come bearing good news! XD So both xxSweet Memory, Runningshadow135, and 05 have both kindly informed me that Amimon doesnt actualy DIE in the manga, just gets banned from entering True Cross. Thanks you three, you just gave me truckload of ideas ;)**

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><p>REVIEWS:<p>

**yarra: **Dear yarra,

Yes indeed ya little ass maggot, why wouldn't I want to talk to my dear, sweat, little Rin? Just let a father and son bond, who cares if it's by _sooner_ or later. Oh quite the contrary, my dear, Halloween is by far the most entertaining time of year~ So many unsuspecting children just _waiting_ to be eaten by my minions. And, 'cliché'? HAH! I take that unspoken challenge- I will do my very best to terrorize you Assiah dwellers in the most creative and unoriginal ways I can )

From your Demonic King,

Satan

**Runningshadow135: **TT-TT *just points down* read that what I have before the disclaimer about that. Same, I originally got the idea awhile back but never actually put it to paper. I thought now would be a good time since Halloween _is _coming up and all :3 I hope I can start updating a lot but I've got school and stuff. Bringing your stories on a thumbdrive only actually works when you get a few weeks ahead of your class. XD

**Lexie: **Your welcomes~! Thank you ^ ^ Yeah the Jack-O-Lantern was a bit original for me to use but I thought that I may make a demon with a relation to the harmless decorations people find on doorsteps. Besides, I thought it would make for a fun and easy brain image (pictures one sees when reading a book in their head). Lemme just say that I try real hard to come up with the most relevant and creative, yet also somehow offensive nicknames for Rin and Bon XD But I was thinking of going back and fixing that one to something else cause it sounded a tad weird, so thanks ^ ^. Hahahaha, that's no fun XD Just laugh harder and then count the amount of stares you get for it. I love doing that~ what were u reading during class or in the library? XD Lol, your welcome~!

**12417: **Ooop! :x shooooot, I _completely _forgot to make that smooth transition from chappy 12. I'll have to go back and read everything I got and add it in later. XD Thanks for pointing that out, helps a lot.

**Prieva: **hahahaha, how do you even say the first half of what you put? XD like, aloud. And good, good! ^ ^ Thanks for reading~

**Hartanna: **Ok, what. What. I finish up this chappy here, go to meh internet and open up my reviews and suddenly I have one more than I did previously XD made me laugh, and GREAT! I intend to make Rin even more demonic/evil later. Because its fun.


	15. Prank Me

**For the record, this was a LOT harder than I thought it would be Oo**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist. **

Let's Play:

Battle was such a lovely thing to people like him. The exhilarating thrill that Amaimon got every time he faced an opponent was breath taking. His last battle with Okumura Rin had completely stolen all the air from his lungs as the green-haired Sub-King had been laughing so hard he could barely keep his vision straight. That, and the younger had beaten him harder then he'd been for quite a while. That was why his brother was so much fun. It was like challenging person after person to play a game of chess but all they ever did was lose right off the bat.

Amaimon had finally found someone worth playing with.

That certain someone stood a few feet beneath him at this very moment, glaring at the very bizarre assortments of cooking ingredients that had replaced those which had been bought by Rin himself only a few hours ago.

"W-what the _fuck_?" Rin finally burst after a long, stunned silence.

From his place in the rafters, Amaimon allowed a small smile to whisk over his face. While Big Brother had placed restraining enchantments on him to prevent the demon from fighting, they did not keep him from causing Rin grief in a different sort of fashion.

Which he had been doing quite often over the course of the week as he crept around the dorms, stealing shoes, misplacing files, and reverse-pickpocketing. The look on both Okumura's faces when they saw that tuba sitting in the middle of their bedroom floor had almost caused Amaimon to fall off the roof, howling with laughter. He had to restrain a similar laugh when the blue-haired exwire whirled around and shot out of the kitchen like a firework, screaming for the only human in the building.

"Yukio!" his boots made a rhythmic, low, tromping sound that rose a few decibels to create a loud screech as he skidded through bends. Poking his head around the corner was quite possibly the worst decision Yukio could've made and he realized such when his elder brother's knee connected with his face. The former fell to the tiled floor with a grunt of surprise, given no time to question Rin for the bellicose action when he continued. "How do you expect me to make us lunch if you eat everything first?"

"Eh? What are you talking about, Nii-san?" Yukio asked, exasperated. Seriously, just because he was Rin's brother didn't mean every little thing that happened was his fault.

Rin thrust a finger out to the direction of the kitchen, yelling "All of the food! The vegetables, meat, fruit- everything has been replaced by garbage!"

From where he watched in the rafters, Amaimon frowned. Orchid Shrimp Chips were _not _garbage and happened to be one of his favorite foods, thank you very much.

"Then why is it my fault?" queried the youngest Okumura as he brushed himself off, "how do you know Ukobach isn't playing a prank on you?"

"Because no respectable cook would ever touch another's ingredients," Rin said confidently, posture relaxing and arms folding over his chest.

Sighing, Yukio took a few steps forward; "Let me take a look then." Of all expressions the younger could have made in Amaimon's presence, the one that flew across his face when he saw the replacement foods was by far one of the best he'd ever seen. The reason for such may have been assisted by the fact that he never had much of any emotion on his face to begin with. So when an expression did manage to worm its way over the static features it was made all the more hilarious. His eyes wide, mouth agape and eyebrows knitted together, raised in confusion. Trapping his little fit of laughter tight behind a clawed hand was more of a challenge than Amaimon had thought when an equally annoyed and surprised tone struggled its way past Yukio's lips.

"All that time we spent trying to find the Yubari King Type Cantelope," he said, horrified.

"All the money we used to _buy_ it," agreed Rin. Suddenly, his tail whipped back with a loud snap, sounding for all the world like a very loud cherry bomb tucked underneath a bucket and going off. The King of Earth realized he'd been found out when his and Rin's eyes met at that moment and with that he burst out into hysterical chuckles, leaping down from the rafters and scrambling through a door to Mephisto's office.

Yukio spent a good thirty-minutes focusing on preventing his brother from running after and killing Amaimon who was unable to keep his laughter in check at the clear affect his actions had on the two Okumura's. The rest of their evening was used up searching for what they had lost so Rin could make dinner and lunch and Ukobach could make breakfast.

After finding out what Amaimon was doing to the poor teens, Mephisto proceeded to place demon repelling seals specifically designed to keep his little Sub-King brother out.

**Amaimon you ass, XD you KNOW how tired Rin is.**

**May have to put two chappies in one for this… **

**And you- *glares at Sylvester (short-hair, black and white, 1 year old Tom)* stop purring, you've made this a nightmarish job. I've had to go back and forth scratchin' his ears and typin'.**

* * *

><p>REVIEWS:<p>

**Kyuubiluver: **EXACTLY! Satan is for sure great material to write with and I think the anime screwed him up so bad. Srsly, it literally made me sick. "love"? he did it for WHAT NOW? I know they don't actually say that but, Satan shouldn't be able to care for ANYONE. He's a god of destruction, dumbasses. (srry, that part just made me rage XD) and thanks a lot ^ ^ I feel like the last two chapters have been….iffy. They'd don't feel like the others I've written and it's probably because I'm tired and stressed and barely have enough time to breathe, let alone write properly - So it's good to hear that at least someone likes them ^ ^.

**Runningshadow135: ***flaps arms around* .; I'm sorrryyyy! XD I was pretty confused by the manga and anime's sudden turns, good to know that he's still alive tho. Yeah, chappy 14 may have been smooth because it was actually raining where I'm from and I was just going with the flow. Fi-Second chappy where I wasn't sure about what to write beforehand. Hope it was alright, better than this one.

**xxSweet Memory(ch 13):** I would, but all have already been named. Rubin, Zefer, and Sylvester. Hooo? Rin's name was going to be Night? I think I like the former better, but its still really interesting. XD focus HARDER! XD hahahaha which test? The exploding one or the other exploding one? XD PPFAHAHAHAHAHA, RIN, SHIT DUDE! U HAVE AIDS! And ur pregnant. XD that's horrifying. I meant to upload this two, three days ago but my schedule has been as bad as Yukio's. Damn, I miss summer. I plan on making the next chappy better than this and get it uploaded today but….I've been awfully ADD.

**xxSweet Memory (ch 14): **You have no idea how much that helped! XD Too bad I couldn't figure out how to make the chappy work out I may make the next chappy a bit more brutal…. Sooooo, if the human he takes over dies, he can come back to life in another human? Does that mean Rin can do the same…?

**Lexie**: yaaaaaay spontaneous updateeess! XD lol, best. Pastime. Ever. ^ ^ and good, good, glad you like it.

**12417:** Thanks. And yeah, both good and bad XD

**05: **thanks, I know that now ^ ^ XD thank you for reviewing too, nice to hear from people and see what they think.

**Hartanna: **Just sitting there at a computer, clicking madly. RAAAAGGGEE. XD Yeah, it sucks when that happens. Tho I guess blocking things is better than walking by and seeing some guy just watching porn. *makes a face* Awwww, its really nice to hear that you love this so much ^ ^ makes me feel more motivated to do better. Sounds like an interesting pep rally XD

**bluelove22: **YAY! Thanks very much, yes!

**yarra: **Dear Maggot,

RIGHT! IM TAKIN OVER, AND COMING UP THERE, YOUNG LADY. RIN, BE PREPARED TO START SPITTING BLOOD IF YOU TRY REJECTING ME!

From the dying pits of hell,

Satan.

(pfffahahahaha)

**WatchOutForWendigos: **hahaha. Rin just lays there, twitching. Something brushes against his tail and he stops to growl threateningly. Freezing and then slapping it with said blue-black appendage. It's for sure something that I enjoy writing about. More so then Amaimon stealing shoes- oddly enough. (ch 14) Yeah, watching the rain is very fun. Sometimes I find it kinda depressing tho, so I only really do it when its comin down HARD. Hahhaha. That's sweet, cool that ur a twin too. I wish MY sister would do that to MY brother. Tho, waking him up at o' dark thirty in the morning via throwing lemons at him, and then running away when he jolts up with a flurry of colorful curses is always fun. :P Lov ya bro~ XD

**dragonchikfan: **Good to know you liked it so much! ^ ^ yeah, the Jack O Lantern was something that I came up with. All by my own self *troll face* XD Most of the things that you find in these little shorts that you haven't heard in the manga/anime I've come up with on my own. Tho of course, I have to do some research on Japanese culture from time to time so as to get foods, herbs, and historical demons right. :D Its very kind of you to say that, thank you very much!


	16. Possess

**Sorry for the delay! I've been busy and this chapter's kinda loooonnggg. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Possess:

-Part 1

The first sensation that reached Rin on the morning of October 31st was of a hand lightly shaking his shoulder. The second was a voice, calling his name and gently requesting his consciousness. The third, the scent of his own sheets wrapped tight in clenched fists and shoved beneath his nose. The forth sense to send signals to his groggy brain was exorcised when the blue haired exwire opened his blue eyes a hair, meeting the blurry silhouettes that stood over him.

And when he lowered his lids, squeezing them over said organs, the faint aftertaste of last night's dinner spilled over his tongue as he spoke his first words of the day; "_Come on Yukio, its Halloween and schools been called off. I've gotta right to sleep in._" The complex pronunciation of the ancient language used only by the most knowledgeable of demons sprung from his mouth like common Japanese did to Yukio. At the sound of these words, both figures froze to allow the decent of silence. Just as Rin was about to let out another slur of the rather dusty language, he was rudely interrupted by a combination of instinct and Yukio ripping him from the sheets while simultaneously drawing his gun. Eye's snapping open in time to see a man with white hair swing his own shotgun around and direct its barrel towards the eldest twin's now empty sheets effectively cut off any traces of sleep he had left. And thus, the groggy exwire was presented with the first exciting realization of the day;

There were other exorcists in the Okumura's dorms. Old, well trained, experienced, I'm-going-to-shoot/stab/disolve-off-your-skin-with -a-sutra-if-you-yawn-funny exorcists.

Joy.

A single breath was taken before Rin's brain finally processed the complete situation and he let out a startled yelp, jumping to his feet.

"W-what the hell?"

"What do you think you're doing, Shikon-san?" asked his brother smoothly, pretending not to have heard his elder. The man dubbed 'Shikon' allowed his arm to lower, casually turning back to the twins with the hint of a smirk on his freckled face.

"He was speaking in tongues. I assumed he'd turned," the tall, silver haired man spoke with an almost disappointed tone as his grey-purple eyes threw spears into cerulean.

Rin's mouth almost dropped, _he's worse than that jackass Arthur._

Narrowing his eyes, Yukio seemed to think something similar. He didn't know all about Arthur Aguste Angel's characteristics, certainly not as good as his brother, but he did understand the similarities. Almost reluctantly, he pushed his pistol back into its holster and found himself hoping he wouldn't have to piece Rin back together later.

"Who the hell is this guy, Yukio?" the half-demon still stood like he was ready to defend, even his tail, which had burst out to increase its size dramatically, was slowly shifting back and forth like a kick boxer pumped up for a fight.

"He is Shikon 33, one of six upper-first class exorcists currently in our dorms that will be supervising you over the next 24 hours," explained the teen calmly and then added, "they were sent by the Vactican." Rin wasn't given a moment to respond as the tall exorcist before him began to talk.

"I'm sure you know what that means, demon," he smiled widely and the shine in his eyes seemed to threaten brutal punishment should things go awry. A bead of sweat built up and slid down the side of the elder Okumura's face as he felt the atmosphere tighten. Something about this man made him uneasy but Rin couldn't seem to figure out just what it was. "We will all be watching in case you happen to lose yourself tonight. Furthermore, you will not be permitted to leave the building under any circumstances and, just in case you still wish to try; we have arias on the premises that have already placed seals around the outside of the building. These will be tracking your every move so I warn you about trying to be tricky. We will be personally handing your meals to you throughout the day, but you are free to use the restroom whenever necessary," Rin did not like the way this dragoon's eye's narrowed when he said, "and don't worry, if you lose control of your flames the exorcists here will be sure to 'take care of you'." Neither of the two brothers said anything as Shikon bowed politely and strolled casually from the room.

"Nii-san, please be more careful," sighed Yukio pejoratively a moment later.

Jolting back, offended at the 'rude' accusation the elder let out a voice of loud objection; "wha-? I didn't _do_ anything! He's the one who pulled a gun out!"

"You spoke in tongues again. Nii-san you know how uneasy that makes people feel," lectured his twin. Rin had always had this ability to speak in demonic languages with fluent ease, even at a very young age. Though, back then it had just been a child's make-believe game. It was as he got older that the range of vocabulary he possessed grew larger and larger until he was able to speak it like it was his main language. It had even gotten to the point where Yukio suspected his brother of speaking _several _demonic tongues.

Lowering his head and shoving his hands in his pockets, Rin murmured; "isskay ymay assay."

His kin just stared at him with his face completely stoic, but made a mental note to join an online language class and learn some Latin when he recognized the words. The younger teen had realized that in paying close attention to the nonsense demons would occasionally speak from time to time, he could discover certain words or phrases that reappeared in the occasions Rin 'forgot' how to speak proper Japanese.

"Mephisto has assigned me a mission, Nii-san. I ask you to please do as you are told and behave while I'm away," he said after a small moment of silence. It was completely ludicrous to be sent on a job today of all days. If his brother were to actually loose himself to Satan's efforts of possession tonight then he would be the best person to bring him back. Yukio was sure that his voice could reach Rin louder than anyone's and even if it didn't his guns were known to be the fastest and most agile of all, making him a good candidate to have on the job. So there was no logical reason to send him out like the sly demon was. Mephisto just wouldn't listen to reason and no matter how many perfectly plausible reasons the teen gave him he simply refused to hear it. Giving the genius exorcist a Cheshire grin, Yukio's final protest had been answered with a raised plate and an offer;

"Would you like a butter horn? They're still warm~"

So he was left with no other choice then to follow his orders and get back as soon as he possibly could.

"A job on the night of Halloween?" Rin asked, caught off guard at the prospect.

The ring of keys jingled in his hand as the other replied, "of course, there's always an increase in activity this time of year. The exwires party has been held back because of it, or have you not been paying attention?" Rin coughed nervously as he grabbed a clean set of clothes to wear and began to get changed, moving without giving a response. Stressed worry almost drove the younger Okumura to snap at his senior before he reminded himself of the other's own worries as he pushed the key into the door.

"Rin," said teenager looked up at the abrupt use of his actual name coming from the youngest, "for just a day in your life, don't do anything stupid."

Yukio didn't turn around but he could hear his brother scoff and return to his tie, saying; "As if I'd screw up anymore then you would, spotty-four-eyes!"

The twin dots beneath his eye smiled and the black haired exorcist passed the opened threshold without looking back.

-Part 2

"Uuuuuuh," Rin released a loud groan that echoed hollowly around the dead room. He could not remember a day when he'd ever felt this bored, but then, he tended to completely repress all of those moments in general out of some kind of strange habit. That or it was he just didn't care to remember them at all.

In any case, the fact remained that the young half-demon was left alone his shared bedroom without an inkling of activity to be seen. Making faces at the knight that was stationed below his window had been entertaining until the middle-aged man had noticed him, giving the blue haired teen a harsh zap via the seal on his window and abruptly ending his game. Reading the books provided to him by Yukio had helped for a total of three words before he encountered complex algorithms and long, gibbering words that made no sense to him no matter how hard the cogs in his brain turned. And so, left without anything else to occupy himself with the fifteen year old found himself rather concerned on the particular absence of Kuro. Before he knew it, lunch had passed and the small cat-demon was still nowhere to be found. He discovered himself fretting that maybe one of the guarding exorcists had found him. It was certainly possible, considering the sneeze-and-I-rip-out-your-spine vibe they'd been giving him. Rin's lower eye twitched when he was reminded of the events that transpired over the delivery of his lunch from earlier that day.

Shikon had just strolled right on into his room without even knocking and looked at Rin like _he _was the one intruding rudely. The food he'd been given was cold and upon the exwire's complaint the white haired man responded with an amused grin and simply told him he could use his flames to heat it. He knew full well the dangers of doing so and his eyes seemed like twin faces laughing at the half-demon. The way this man looked at him made Rin feel as if he _wanted_ him to lose control. A hand rested on the butt of his gun as Shikon watched his captive attempt to gnaw through his meal with a calculating gaze. The hairs on the base of the blue haired teen's tail stood on end, instinct alerting him to an unknown danger. Those grey-blue eyes were suspicious, wicked and sly. In any case Rin was sure to keep fully aware of every action taken on the elder's part, ready for attack.

It hadn't been completely silent the entire duration of time that he spent eating, either, and he actually wished it had been. While the questions had been regular everyday things like weather and community events they just seemed _wrong_ coming from the man. His entire presence was just like when you've forgotten something really important and it's on the very tip of your tongue but no matter how hard you try you just can't grasp that little sliver of information. Quite frankly Rin had been extremely relieved when Shikon finally left the room.

The worst part about all of this was Satan. The monster hadn't said a word to Rin all day and his silence unnerved the fifteen year old teen considerably. He groaned again and slammed his head down onto a small pile of crumpled papers, yearning to be with his friends as they fought off demons. Turning his head to the side his eyes fell across the old guitar sitting in the corner. He and Yukio had found the forgotten thing a few days after moving in and instead of just tossing it his younger brother had hauled it off to a music store and gotten it properly fixed. Since then, however, neither of the two had touched it and the guitar became a simple decoration.

That was it; he was too desperate to keep sitting here like this.

Pushing himself to his feet Rin grabbed the lonely instrument and wiped off the thin layer of dust coating its body, running a finger along the strings. Back when he still a kid, Kyodo had decided he'd had enough of his "I'm bo-red!" whines and forced him to sit down and learn how to create music. He hadn't played a guitar for a few years but it was one of the things that he seemed to just instinctively remember. It was kind of like how he could cook a recipe once and remember each grain of salt that was put into it the next time he served the same meal.

He pulled at his memories like he pulled at the strings, tightening and loosening to give the discarded instrument its proper tune. Finally satisfied with the almost happy sounds that each string sang when he plucked at them Rin sighed and began to play. His fingers gliding over the instrument, pushing down on its neck and shifting his hand to create different levels of music. The elder Okumura knew for a fact that he was not a singer. He simply wasn't good at it and it never gave him the satisfaction that the strings did when his fingers passed over them. So he kept his mouth closed.

As time continued to pass by with each song sung from the polished guitar Rin found himself slipping further and further into the music. He didn't notice the blue streaks dragging dripping paintbrushes through the low, peach colored horizon. He didn't notice the fading light or picture his friends fighting back waves of hobbgoblins. And maybe if he had, he would have noticed the creek of his door opening, the gleaming barrel of a gun or the crescent moon smiling behind it. The chorus of his song was unable to finish and Rin's attention was brought crashing back down to earth when the tranquilizer buried itself into the back of his neck.

He ended to the tune of surprised darkness.

And awoke to the melody of an old chant. To the glow of the surrounding candles, the scent of blood curling up his nose.

"The hell?" he croaked upon seeing the bloody lines that criss-crossed underneath him. Realization dawned and he jerked his head around to view the complicated pentagram that he currently lay in.

"So he finally awakens," purrs a familiar voice and Rin switched his cerulean gaze over to the white haired exorcist standing at the front of the circle. "Your quite good at playing the guitar, demon," the off-handed comment was responded with a threatening growl and the eldest Okumura felt his tail thrashing behind him. He was suddenly cut off when something inside him pulsed. It didn't exactly bring him pain, being more like a shove.

Beautiful, bright blue flames lapped at his body like the smoke from a cigarette, the sudden unwillingness to be locked inside his body confusing the teen. He willed them to go out, to calm down so he could wipe off that smirk on Shikon's face.

To his horror, they refused to listen to his commands. Growing larger and larger, weaving up and sucking in oxygen to feed themselves. Rin was on the verge of panic as he was forced to watch the flames he'd thought to have conquered slip away from his control. It was like trying to tighten your grip on a wet bar of soap.

His body was going numb.

"Quite persistent aren't you?" came the dragoon's voice again. "Come on, boy, just let them go," he urged, "don't worry so much, I told you we'd take good care of it, didn't I?"

It took all he had to unclench his teeth and snarl, "eat shit and burn, bastard," and Rin managed to open a fiery blue eye. Twin white eye-brows rose and a gleeful smile launched itself across Shikon's face.

"Yes~" he swooned, his voice in a state of awed stupor, "those eyes! Such a threatening gaze makes my skin crawl." The eldest Okumura himself could tell just how insanely freaked the man was when he caught the death glare. Note, 'insane' is the key word in that sentence. "Stop _hesitating!_" whined the blue-grey eyed exorcist, "Satan won't be able to take over you. The Vactican was wrong, Rin Okumura, you are free from him! These barriers we've placed will keep him out long enough. But, there isn't much time left, the night will end soon! _Quickly!_"

_I'll never let myself lose control to someone like you!_ Rin thought, vision fading rapidly as the exhaustion from keeping his flames from growing swept over his form. Through the remaining slits of his eyes Rin watched as Shikon suddenly stopped dead, a sword protruding through his chest. Green hair gelled up into a spike, twisted face showing off nothing more than a bored, plain expression with wide, insomniac eyes that tore apart the exorcists own. The two arias that were chanting on either side of Satan's son stopped their continuous flow of words to listen as Shikon let out a strangled gargle.

"The King of Earth? You- impossible," his words grew to a quiet mumble as he fell with a wet sounding thump;" you shouldn't have been able to get in here."

This is where Rin's consciousness finally escaped him, leaving him with a stain on his retinas of Amaimon's unamused gaze turned towards him.

Realistically, he should have woken up in a hospital bed with Yukio sitting next to him reading a convoluted book. Instead, however, he found himself awaking to the irritated and slightly fearful shouting of none other than Bon.

"You idiot!" screamed the teen with multicolored hair, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

That was a great question, actually. And Rin found himself with quite possibly the most important realization of the day;

He was no longer in the dorms he shared with Yukio, standing on the branch of a large fir tree with blue flames wrapping almost lazily around his body. In other words, he'd probably lost it again.

Amaimon stood on a tree branch a few feet away, a convivial grin stretching from ear to ear as he waited for his toy's next move. Bon, Shima, and Izumo stood anxiously waiting below with water running marathons across their skin and white puffs blowing out of their mouths. From the looks of things, Izumo had attempted to use her familiars to restrain him. Unfortunately, it seemed that such an act had little to no effect because pieces of shredded paper lay scattered at her muddy toes. A sizable dent shaped Shima's staff but it still appeared to usable to some extent as the pink haired exwire stood with the malformed rod still clutched in his hands. Bon stood with his face turned to the teen he considered a close friend and comrade, waiting for his response.

Blue eyes regaining some of their formal spark, Rin wobbled on his branch and Amaimon's smile faltered. Growing angry at the pesky weaklings that tried so desperately to stop his play, the demon readied himself to launch down and shut them up for good. The next thing he knew he was dodging a wall of flame and the eldest Okumura was blowing him to the dirt. Chips of soil and rock flew past Amaimon for not but a few heartbeats before a large, wooden canary opened its maw and swallowed him whole, righting its purple hat as it finished and disappearing with a puff of pink smoke and stars.

Desperate to see the damage his rampage caused but unable to make out anything but green-black blurs as the trees rushed past him, Rin could feel nothing in his cold, senseless body. Why did it feel like the raindrops were falling slower?

A feminine grunt followed by the feel of skin against skin told of Rin's descent from his perch on the tree moments ago. Red hair dripping with water slapped his face and he could feel his own blue locks sticking to his cheeks. He suddenly recognized the darkness that seemed to swim around him and Rin wondered when it was his eye's had closed.

"Oi, Rin!" Shura's shout resounded in the teen's ears, the expression of concern sailing with them and he felt cold fingers feel around his neck in search of a pulse.

The splashing of feet and whispering ferns was met with the appearance of the three other exwires.

"Is he okay?" someone shouted.

"I'm still checking, where's Moriyama? Or Yukio?" asked Shura, running wet hands over the length of Rin's arms and chest, attempting to find some sort of fatal injury or broken bone.

"Koneko-san went out to get her a few minutes ago," informed Shima, sounding a little winded.

"What happened? Why was Okumura-kun fighting Amaimon?" Izumo questioned.

"Ryuuji, help me get this guy on my back," Rin could feel Bon's calloused hands hook under his arms to lift his upper body while Shura grabbed his legs. "I don't know. Satan was expected to try and possess him tonight, but judging by the way nothing is destroyed and the fact that he was fighting Amaimon I wouldn't say that he succeeded," explained the red-head as Bon gently let Rin rest on her back. The stunned silence allowed the exorcist to continue, "that guy…he was talking to Rin telepathically all month just to build up tension so we'd let down our guard? Sly monster," she spat, more to herself than to the students.

By this point, with his breath whisking past her ear, Rin had worked up enough feeling and strength in his body to finally announce his consciousness.

"Did I hurt anyone?" he whispered groggily, interrupting anything that his friends might have said further. Shura almost stumbled at the unexpected sound of the young exwire's voice in her ear.

"You're awake?" she sputtered, stopping to look over her shoulder.

"How are you feeling, Okumura-san?" Shima asked.

Clearing his throat and opening his eyes into small slits to look forward with burry vision, Rin replied; "I asked first."

"No one here is hurt but you, dumbass," snapped Bon.

Flicking a blue eye towards the aria, the elder Okumura made his annoyance known through a tired glare.

"Where does it hurt? If you tell us now and fall unconscious again before we get to camp then we can tell Moriyama and make things go faster," stated Izumo.

The half-demon hesitated, "dunno, I can't feel anything. My whole body's numb."

"Don't worry about it; we're going to get yew to someone who can help. Might even find Yukio first," explained the red-haired exorcist, bouncing him higher up her back. She paused when Rin let out a little grunt, "yall right?"

"Hair," he mumbled.

"Hah?" Shura turned her head around to look.

"Can't you...just put your hair...up or something?" he breathed with the slightest hint of irritation, spitting out a strand as he went, "keeps slappin' me...in the face." The sound of Rin's annoyed complaint made Bon feel a little more relieved and he replied to it on impulse.

"Shut up princess, at least you're not covered in mud," said the teen as he attempted to brush off the caked dirt on his arms, only succeeding in smearing it.

Ahead of the wet, tired, and hungry group of muddy people came the bright lights of their campsite, illuminating the playful look crossing through Shura's eyes when she said; "well if ya'd prefer I can hand ya over to yawr prince~"

Rin spat out another hair and retorted; "I'd rather not inhale a skunk's ass." The conversation, or argument, between the two continued until the elder Okumura fell to the clutches of exhaustion again. And doing so just before Sheimi, Yukio, and Konekomaru arrived.

He would later find out that the group of 'exorcists' that had taken the Okumura's dorms were never sent by the Vatican at all. Instead, they were known to be an elite group of odd Satanists. The seemed to know that the demon lord would be far too powerful, so seals had been placed around a dark room specifically designed to keep the big bad himself out. They were similar to the one used to keep the Kurikara locked in its scabbard. No one knew exactly where Amaimon came from and the three exwires would report seeing Rin chase after the green-haired sub-demon with a calm, controlled demeanor. His flames hardly even jumped without his command and he was going head to head with the King of Earth as if he were putting in no effort at all. There was no sign of Satan that time.

He would then get a lecture from Yukio, who seemed to just find excuses to cover up his concern, and have to make up with an irritated Bon. The rest of his friends weren't specifically happy either, being angry over his keeping Satan's voice a secret this entire time. His recovery would be swift, only suffering from extreme exhaustion for a few days. The private doctor explained that it was likely because of how hard he was trying to keep his flames controlled combined by the stress of Satan's constant telepathic link. Rin hadn't entirely been comfortable with this particular doctor when he woke up, and seeing as how Yukio had gone to get something edible at the time, he was left with the three arias. To which he'd made his discomfort known. They later found out the man was a member of the BDRI (Biology of Demons Research Institute).

The man wasn't seen from again.

Rin was never told about Shikon's followers being found dead, or about the sudden disappearance of his corpse. He was never informed of the animalistic scratches lining the walls or the thick trail of blood dragging from the point of where his body fell to the middle of the circle he himself had laid in.

He was never told of the words on the wall; "Thanks for the candy."

* * *

><p><strong>SHHHHHH, IM NOT WRITING IN SCHOOL RIGHT NOW! WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN ABOUT, FOO? <strong>

**Also, *looks up at writing like it's the Statue of Liberty* I'm looking at a monster here Oo**

**Long chappy is .**

**And Yes, Shikon's last name is 33, what of it? XD He changed it because humphcoughchoke. Yes, Amaimon DID save Rin. YES, he DID try to kill him. It's one of those situations where the villain saves the hero because they want to be the one to kill em. XD**

* * *

><p>REVIEWS:<p>

**Kikwoka: **thanks, not my best chappy, but glad u liked it anyway. I decided to take longer with this one to be sure it came out well ^ ^. XD well, you wanted more you got more! "Twice in two days?" come back while im having summer break and I'll show u 'twice in two days' ! XD It was twice every day back then. Back when I had TIME. Your very welcome, thanks for the lovely review. XD Hahaha, good to know your as evil as I am.

**Lexie: **XD yeah, poor Rin. I gotta stop abusing him so much. XD

**12417: **yesh! :D I did!

**Prieva: ***claps loudly* THANK YOU! If u hadn't pointed that out for me I would have never have made this chappy. YOU ARE MY SAVVVIOOOOORRR! Srsly, no more uploading when I'm half asleep. Jesus I need sleep. XD Hopefully this is more appealing.

**Anonymous: **XD good idea, and thanks! I think you'll like this chapter XD

**Hartanna:** SyRIIIINNNNNggggee :D and whoopse, :X chappies are gunna get old if I keep bein' mean to him, neh? XD Instinctively outta stress or something. Or does the sadist smile thing at the end of this here review (which I just noticed) mean that u like it?

**DebbieKun3: **thankies! I'll try my best!

**_: **OMG, MYSTERIOUS NO NAME PERSON! HAAAAPPPPYYYYMOTHHAAA FUUCKKIIIN BIRTHDAYYYY! (4 days later) XD

**Whoever-san: **yeaaaahh, XD I'm going to try and tone it down a bit. I was caught in writers block so I was just lookin at some older ideas. Not the best tactic, probably won't try it again Oo. ^ ^ thanks, good to know my writing has a the effect it needs.

**symbion:** lol, lotsa ppl seem to like it, don't they? XD its weird. Not bad weird, seeing as how I don't find it bothersome either. Thankies for revieewwwing!

**Bleach-ed-Na-tsu: **hahahaha, I think he's a pretty clever thing. Mephy reminds me of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. XD

**Bluelove22: **XD aww, you didn't say awesome XD (im just teasing you ;) let me know if it bothers you or not XD) thankies! :D

**Oluhasuu: **OMG UR A GENIE! Or a wizard? Mage? Witch? _"muajajaja xDD"_ Oo Evil little girl related to Bloody Mary? Rin doesn't like how I'm mean to him XD

**Ghost of a Squash: **Glad to hear it ^ ^ hahaha, that's gunna change (a little ;) ) in chappy 18. *snickers* totally does. Hahaha, I love the 'tsk tsk' thing!


	17. SyRINge

**HEY, HEY GUYS GUESS WHAT? OVER 100 REVIEEEEEWWWWWSSS *throws up confetti* HOORAYY!**

**Disclaimer: Ecorsits No Ao own don't I**

Syringe:

Rin's face had contorted into an irritable scowl, an eyebrow twitching above the dark expression and fiery blue eyes. Next to him, Yukio's expression was of a more calm and collected nature but nonetheless it still held concern.

The two had just been informed that odd creatures had been attacking the monastery they'd grown up in for a few weeks now and despite the experience and skill of the exorcists who ran the place they were still having trouble solving the problem. The demons that had taken to living with them were surprisingly cunning and quick. In his report, Kyodo said he thought he'd heard a child giggle upon the first encounter one late evening and Izumi illustrated the sound of several feet running about after a few more days. Unable to find the problem and deal with it soon enough had sent Maruta to the infirmary already, a good part of why Rin was so pissed off, and due to this the two brothers had been requested to come help deal with the problem.

However, Mephisto wasn't about to let them pack their bags and leave just yet as he summoned the Okumura's to the exwires cram class. Where they promptly found all the other students waiting with their own bags packed.

"Eh? What the hell are you guys doing here?" Rin had asked, pushing back his worried crossness in place of surprise.

"That's what we'd like to know," snorted Bon, hands crossed over his chest.

"We just got messages from the principle telling us to pack a weeks' worth of clothes and other necessities and then come here," Izumo explained at the sight of her comrade's face growing even more confused.

"Indeed I did~," came the sly tone of Mephisto himself from behind Yukio. It was as if the very tone of the elder demon's voice grabbed a psychological gate in Rin's head and threw it open, causing his flood of stressed hate to flow out once more. Tail tearing apart the open air, the blue haired exwire whirled around ready to shout at him when Yukio got to it first.

"I understand the complications of the problem, sir, but is it really necessary to involve _all_ of the exwires?" he asked calmly, light reflecting off his glasses.

Smirking, the clever devil replied, "why of course~ it provides both back up and a good learning experience. Since I have already delivered to you the case file for this, you will be explaining the situation to them on the assigned mode of transportation." Two more exorcists suddenly entered the room and came to stand beside the purple haired demon, one bearing heavy muscles and the other the frame of a scientist. Konekomaru developed an expression of slight curiosity at their unexpected appearance and Bon performed as if he was trying to come up with an explanation to it. Shima didn't appear to notice them come in at all and Izumo merely glanced at them. Sheimi was too focused on the look of confused disgust scrunching up Rin's nose to see them, like a dog catching wind of something suspicious.

Yukio's eyes narrowed a thread, "I understand."

"Good, I hope that also means you won't hold a grudge against me for this as well," a long, close lipped smile split Mephisto's face in half and his eyes narrowed dangerously. The two men behind him lurched forward quicker than any had expected, the muscle-man wrapping his arms around Rin in a full nelson hold while the other sprung a syringe from his sleeve.

_That's what that smell was! _His eyes widened considerably when he noticed the transparent liquid sloshing inside it and he began writhing even before any of his friends had time to react. Managing to thrust his elbow into the well-developed man's rib cage from where he held onto him before the needle was slammed into his neck.

The contents plunged into his body and shot through his veins as Rin suddenly felt pain bloom in his chest. Back arching and chin throwing into the air he gasped out and fell to the ground. Yukio and Sheimi were by his side in seconds, the three arias-in-training coming to stand in front and taking on battle ready stances as Izumo readied her summons. Takara made no move, but looked up from playing with his puppet.

"Rin!" Sheimi cried out fearfully, watching her friend squirm on the ground.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" snarled Bon as he glared down the three adults before him.

"Well, if you're going to a place like the old Monastery then a demon like Rin is going to need to hide, is he not? This will completely cover up all of Rin's more," he trailed of for a minute before continuing, "_inhuman_ features." Rin let out a wet growl, the sound of something bubbling up his throat mixing with his snarl. Sheimi was quietly going over what herbs she could use to help him clear whatever it was out. Yukio, however, was moving before she could finish, massaging Rin's throat as he began to cough up blood. "Unfortunately the drug was created to help restrain uncontrollable demons, and therefore its effects are not very kind," Mephisto explained, turning around to hide the spark of sympathy in his eyes. After all, he's felt the effects of it before as well and he knows just how unpleasant it is.

"Don't worry though, he may pass out but he'll be fine in a few hours. We only administered enough to last the week, however, so don't stall for any sightseeing if you never want to see this again." With that said the school principle escaped the room, his subordinates following close behind.

"That guy is so unpleasantly mysterious," Shima murmured.

"Crazy bastard is what he is," Bon lowered his hands and turned around.

Yukio was still trying to keep his brother under control, saying as calmly as he could, "just keep breathing as you can, Okumura-kun. It will be over soon, just focus on breathing."

Rin, while being unable to reply, forced his chest to heave up and down, ignore the pain that bloomed inside him and disregard the sweat that crawled across his skin. Izumo took a step forward to ask her teacher what was happening but was interrupted by Konekomaru.

"What is happening to him? He's coughing up blood!" he cried when Rin turned his head to the side, spitting out a puddle of said scarlet paint.

"His organs are rearranging," Yukio explained, "Due to his outer appearance, Okumura-kun is the type of demon with more internal changes than superficial. It's what helps him heal simple wounds so quickly and fends off common diseases with such ease." He continued to rub his elder brother's throat, tender hands running over his adam's apple. However the others could tell that he was still fearful for his brother when he turned Rin on his side to help the blood to escape. Strain was clear on the elder's face as he held back a cry, wheezing with fading vision.

The words of his worried friends became muffled and difficult to understand as seconds passed and Rin found himself left in a world of darkness.

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><p><strong>Mephisto, that was considerably meaner then it needed be. Couldn't you have found something a little less vicious to change Rin? And for that matter, did you <strong>_**have **_**to just toss the needed explanation over your shoulder and leave it to Yukio?**

**Yes, yes he did. XD Because Mephisto is like that and you know it.**

…**But, putting that aside, has anyone noticed I've been particularly mean to Rin lately?**

**Anyhooo, NOW. ITS TIME. TO *passes out***

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><p><strong>REVIEWS<strong>

**Bluelove22: **XD I should start counting how many times you say awesome, XD makes me laugh. ^ ^ thank you~!

**Whoever-san: **^ ^thanks so very much for reviewing too! Yeah, I find a similar difficulty in the Ao No section of fanfiction ^ ^; great people writing (really weird, and sometimes REALLY UNCESSARY) stories. They can be well written but really hard for people like me to read. Then hopefully my story suits your appeal well enough

**Kitsune Foxfire: **For sure! It screwed me up so bad with the Amaimon thing cause I was like "Oh hey! A story about him fighting/prankin Rin would be kinda popular (if a little hard to write) I shoul- wait he's dead… or is he? Hes not dead? He can take over other people's bodies (comense brain fart (*sudden idea)) and that's why the hamster was there? Does that mean he can change animals organs and muscles because last I checked hamsters didn't have the ability to form human words!" god I was so mixed up XD Thanks for the revieeewww~~

**yarra:** hahahahahahahahahhaha, Amaimon~ I can totally just see Rin running after him with a spatula, calling him "Brocali" Or asparagus, or mutated mushroom, there are so many nicknames for a guy like that. YES, MY MOST FAITHFUL STUDENT! …YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT, GET OUT OF MY CLASSROOM! XD It sounds fun indeed, but how would it work? Amaimon's first of all been forbidden from going near Rin due to the placement of several binds and seals, and secondly Rin would likely just beat him hell and gone if he tried. I can only think of Amaimon stealing Rin's lunch and that would be way way too short to put in here - I mean like, if you REALLY wanted it maybe I could post it on my profile page or something…. But then it would also delay the arrival of the next chappy ^ ^; life I complicated

**xxSweet Memory: **Pfahahahahahahaha! Still like Rin better, but pf-ha-hahaha. I don't know why it's funny, but it giving me little giggle fits XD Awww, too bad. It would have been hilarious if something happened and Rin woke up as like a dog or something. He'd be like "Am I high?...again?" "update soon"? NO, NO UPDATES FOR YOU! Its not like I spent an extra two , three hours writing fo meh lovable reviewers ^ ^ XD Unfortunately tho, my updates this week are gunna be a bit delayed. I can think of one day where I'll only be busy an hour after school and one full day where im not required to do anything. Everything else is pretty much booked. - I'll still try and lap up each second I have tho. ^ ^

**Runningshadow135: **XD you better like it, I didn't make it a fight specifically cause you asked me not to. I was hit by writers block by this thing for several hours! XD I kid, I kid (mostly ;)) And, its EXACLTY what you were thinking about because I stole it from depths of your mind oO.


	18. Arrival

**I totally DON'T have Spanish stuff to study *tries to subtly push away 'cuadernooooo' (my Spanish note book)***

**._. 3,070 words, 8 pages, and three attempts at making this chapter. I REALLY hope someone enjoys and it and if not, I hope instead of bitching uselessly you tell me what I did wrong and where the error is. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Arrival:

Bon found it ironic how not even two months before he was back home working to defeat the Impure King and save his loved ones in Kyoto. That now, not even half a year later he was dropped into an all too similar situation in the Okumura's home town.

The old church had appeared rather threatening at first to all the exwires present, reminding them of their exam back at the dorms Yukio and Rin shared. A tall shadow rising from the ground surrounded by a large brick wall and guarded by an ominous, metal gate. The aria-in-training could have sworn that the mass of intricately twisting metal was biased off of one he'd seen from a scary movie.

With the church's obsolete appearance, color-stained glass windows, and heavy double doors he found himself almost expecting to see a line of gargoyle statues sitting on the roof and gazing down with snarling faces. Due to the impression left by the looming silhouette, the group of exwires had been understandably startled when they were greeted by such warm light and welcoming smiles upon entering.

There was a tall, thin looking man with curly brown hair and an intelligent, but also rather sly looking expression. His eyes were a few shades darker than the messy locks of hair and he was introduced as Nagatomo. Another man of tanned skin, dark hair and strong muscles was explained to be called Kyodo. His face was full of scars and a type of professional leadership not often found in many men. The smallest of the group had spiky, dirty blond hair and tanned eyes. They'd teased the blond called Izumi about his age, being the youngest of the priests and had received a returning, playful glare. Finally, a round-bellied, black haired and squinty eyed man was introduced as Maruta. He had thick eyebrows, a kind expression, and one arm resting in a sling.

The manner in which the four priests had behaved when they saw Yukio was that of a family welcoming a child who had been away for several years. And that's exactly what they were, aside from the 'several years' part seeing as how the youngest Okumura had only been away for about half a year at least. Bon had only been mildly surprised at the discovery, allowing his eyes to grow when he was told. Logic took over the unexpected information a moment later, however. After all, what better way than to raise Satan's son with well trained and highly experienced exorcists? Of course the priests had asked about the eldest Okumura and why he wasn't there, gaining the full attention of all in the room as both groups wished to know of his whereabouts.

Yukio had simply said that his brother needed to do something before arriving. His childhood guardians seemed to understand everything that was left unspoken and, much to Bon's frustration asked nothing more. The teenagers where then lead to the rooms they would occupy over the course of the week by Maruta while the other priests disappeared into the kitchen, saying they were going to start dinner while their guests unpacked. Just as always, the girls had a separate room from the guys. However, they were not all that far apart, in fact they were literally right across each other. Maruta had shown them where the public bathrooms could be located, mostly used on Sundays, and then he'd shown the placement of the showers. He'd also been sure to let them know where the priests would be sleeping in case anything went wrong and illustrated directions to the Okumura's room on the other side of the building. Over the course of this entire, mini expedition, Bon had noticed just how big the church actually was. There was a ground floor, basement, and an attic. All of which had several numbers of rooms on them.

"…due to the inability to see this demon, its fatal verse has not yet been discovered," the youngest Okumura was saying.

Currently, he was sitting with his arms crossed on the front pew in the Sanctuary with Konekomaru and Shima on his left and Sheimi and Izumo to his right. Yukio stood in front with a piece of paper in his hand, laying out tomorrows schedule and giving the exwires a brief summary of the situation. The principle had said to illustrate the mission on the 'assigned mode of transportation' but they had been forced to stay silent about it when their driver was mixed up with a man who worked a public bus. In other words, he was a regular citizen with no knowledge of the dangers lurking invisible to his eye.

So now Bon made serious efforts at listening to what his sensei was saying, absorbing all information about the strange, imperceptible demon that had eluded the exorcists for so long. His efforts at ignoring the smell of something burning in the kitchen were brought to a full halt, however, a few moments later when a shout popped out from the room. A cry that was followed by the sounds of pots falling and plates shattering mixed in with grunts and sharp claws scrabbling for purchase on a smooth surface.

The exwire had turned his head in time to see a blurry figure leap from the kitchen. Its body was hunched over and reminded the intelligent teen of a dog or large cat in the way it ran, but its frame almost seemed to have a human shape. It was too hard to tell with the way the air shimmered and rippled.

Kyodo had been first to fly from the kitchen, fists raised up and his stance ready for battle. Izumi had followed after, launching a kitchen knife out at the demon as it ran towards the group of exwires. The blade landed with a thud deep into the wood panels that made up the church's flooring. Yukio had drawn his gun but was unable to fire before Maruta released a wave of fire towards the oncoming creature, letting them spew from his mouth in a controlled yet destructive way. The orange light licked eagerly at the figure, desperate but unable to catch onto it and begin feeding itself. Izumo had summoned her familiars and was about to send them after the creature before it bolted again. The arias were raking their minds to find a verse that may affect the invisible demon, even despite knowing what Yukio had said earlier, and when Bon failed to come up with anything he ripped Shima's staff away and threw it like a spear. He let out a series of words to form a binding chant in hopes to at least stall the thing. However, the recently repaired K'rik passed right through the fleeing demon, words proving absolutely no use as the strange being continued its path towards the large wooden doors.

Suddenly, one of the heavy doors was thrown open violently, snapping forward and almost hitting the fleeing thing. A familiar head of blue hair passed through the threshold with the Kurikara raised. The demon slaying sword still sheathed he swung it in the direction of his adversary and slapped the blurry figure in the face so hard it was launched back across the Sanctuary like a baseball. Dropping back down, he kept his battle stance at the door; eyes darting back and forth in search of the suddenly disappeared demon.

"Dammit," cursed Kyodo after a moment of uneasy silence, "it got away again."

"Slippery creature never knows when it's alright to show up and when it's not," spat Izumi.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Yukio.

"Yeah, it looks like it," said Nagatomo, surveying the students and raising an impressed eyebrow at the sight of Izumi's Byakko foxes.

"The hell is going on in here?" Rin called, shaking himself of the stunned abhorrence he'd been in.

Kyodo could move a lot faster than Bon had originally given him credit for, appearing by the eldest Okumura's side in seconds and giving him a firm slap on the back of the head.

"Ow- what the hell Kyo-"he began to protest.

"Where the hell have you been? You were gone for almost _two hours_," the priest raged and despite the clear irritation Bon could see the relief in the exorcist's eyes.

A million responses could have emptied out of Rin's mouth and Bon could safely say that neither he nor his childhood friends would be surprised. Izumo likely wouldn't be caught with anything unexpected either, but Sheimi, being the naïve teen she was may be startled by a good half of that million.

"I was getting groceries, dammit!"

This was not one of them.

"Pfwah-? _That's_ what was taking him so long?" Shima sputtered.

"Wasn't there one just a few streets away from here?" Konekomaru pointed out, looking up at his friends.

Bon grunted, "he likely just got lost or something, being the way he is in class his sense of direction is probably enough to get him lost in a straight line."

A vein twitched above Rin's eye and he snapped his attention away from the argument he was having with his guardian about 'proper attendance.'

"What was that, you lazy ass rooster?" the half-demon shrieked.

"Hah? Look who's talking, ya good-for-nothing lantern! Why don't you try glowing right for once?" the other spat back.

_Do these guys even realize they were just attacked?_ Thought Izumo with an exasperated expression, all this yelling was starting to give her a headache.

"Ah, Rin! How did you pay for those?" Nagatomo asked, breaking off the arguments with a gesture to the plastic grocery bags laying in a discarded heap just outside the door. A devilish grin snaked its way over the eldest Okumura's face and he met eyes with Yukio.

"You should probably take better care of your wallet, little brother~" he sneered, "or else you're gunna get pick pocketed pretty quick in the real world." From out of his pocket Rin pulled a blue credit card, holding it between his index and middle finger.

Now, when Kyodo had presented some considerable speed from earlier he'd done so _without_ leaving an after image. It was as if someone had attached rockets to the younger's shoes as he vanished for a few seconds and reappeared right next to his elder twin with a bible in his hand.

Moriyama vowed to never again let herself be caught without the proper herbs to treat a concussion.

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><p><strong>And people thought <strong>_**Shura**_** could be scary. You don't steal Yukio's things, especially his credit card seeing as how it's pretty much what's keeping him fed. **

**I have also noticed that while Yukio may be rather stoic at times but he can be more 'colorful' then what I've been making him out to be. So in this chappy I tried giving him a bit more expression. **

**Bon and the others are starting to realize where Rin got his ADD from. Seriously, shouldn't they be discussing the thing that just ran through the Sanctuary a little more seriously? XD Mah, they'd get to it at dinner or the next day or something.**

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><p>REVIEWS:<p>

**WatchOutForWendigos: **(chappy 15) Yeah, he barely even interacts with Rin too. XD I like making his tail snap, its oddly fun to describe~ (chappy 16) *hums* weeelll~ I can't tell ya noffin more than; Rin didn't eat them XD I noticed the same thing, I had originally intended to fix that part but I guess I forgot, :X whoopse. Yukio should for sure be able to speak Pig Latin fluently seeing as how he's a highly intelligent exorcist and all. Oh deff, XD I had to make him calmer since if he was crazy I'd have to go on about the Vatican being all like "THERE'S BLUE FLAMES EVERYWHERE! HE'S NOT CONTROLLABLE, KILL HIM!" getting around that would be diff, they don't seem like the "second chance" type to me. Soooo XD They are! Calm crazies are scarier than crazy-crazies. XD (chappy 17) oh yeah, I've got truckloads of ideas for the 'peeps visiting the Okumura's playgrounds'. The stay they have in the Church is gunna seem long because of how many I got XD And as for the senses improved, yeah that's what that injection takes care of. If his tail wasn't so strong as to remain unaffected from the drug then he'd likely be wobbling around a lot more. Ahhh, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by "_How else are they going to find the people hiding from them?_" Coulja clarify for me? ^ ^;

**GoddessWarrior: **Thank you~!

**xxSweet Memory: **Ohhh, nice to know they're dedicated. I may have to lower my production rate in the chappies for a while due to honest reasons like a busy schedule or something, but I don't really plan on stopping for good anytime soon. Well good to know that its satisfactory, I thought I should go faster but I refused to push shitty ideas onto paper so…. XD yes, it also makes life fun when you mentally abuse Rin~ XD too true, such heritage can be seen in this chappy too.

**PINKhairedBADASS: **(chappy 13) YOU SHALL NOT BE FORGIVEN. YOU HAVE TO REVIEW THE SECOND I POST I NEW CHAPPY OR I SHALL FOREVER BANISH YOU TO A PLACE IN OKLAHOMA. XD Computers can be total bitches sometimes- *is currently waiting for a virus scan to complete* always bustin' bolts and complaining. I still feel like the recent five or so chappies I've posted have been pretty crummy compared to my other ones. Part of why may be because I'm suffering from a tid bit of writers block. I'm pulling out of it now but I can't say for sure. XD I need to focus more on reading the manga and watching the anime- finding things to get the ideas flowing a bit better. (chappy 17) YOU JUST READ GOD. O^O XD hahahahahahaha, glad to see you like it so much! XD *eyebrow wiggle* what KIND of crazy?

**DebbieKun3: **The audience says hi back :3 XD thanks for taking the time to review~ Awwww, the anime is still burping out specials (seriously, what the fuck are half of those even there for?) and the manga hasn't finished either, if that helps any. I'm glad my story helps though ^ ^ Makes me wonder how many other people feel the same way *curious look* XD don't get me wrong, I'm not starving for attention here. Just kinda want to know if what I'm doing is really so beneficial to others XD Hoooo well, I find it fun and losta other people do too, so it's all good XD


	19. Startled Cat

**Good GOD. I am so tired I can feel my head beginning to become pressurized. XD Due to the fact its 10:47 and im getting up early tomorrow this chappy may have more errors than normal in it. I haven't done the best revise job so I apologize.**

**Disclaimer: Dude, all I own is a hefty work load, a cold, bucket loads of exhaustion, and almost no time. Well, and the joy of writing XD**

Startled Cat:

"I blame Yukio fully for this," Rin groaned to himself, letting his head fall gently to the wooden table in the kitchen. Currently, the time was 6:14 am and as he sat in one of the eight chairs at the family table he found himself cursing his younger twin for creating this unwanted habit. Before, Rin could sleep in for several hours without being disturbed once. No matter how hard anyone else tried to wake him. But ever since little Yukio had got him making food for them - using the word 'food' because it wasn't just lunch that he would make – he just could not sleep properly.

Sometimes Rin wondered if whether or not he enjoyed his elder brother's pain.

His hair was still damp from a shower and on the stove sat an empty pan, flames licking at its belly. In order to make his meal finish cooking faster the elder exwire would sometimes have the pan heated before he actually began the process of making his meal.

Mentally cursing Yukio one more time for giving him such an annoying headache the teen turned his gaze towards the waiting cooking equipment. All he had to do was look to estimate the temperature and he found the trick to be rather useful in the kitchen. Not knowing if it was an effect caused by the flames he now possessed, Rin just allowed himself to use the strange ability for his own benefit. As long as it didn't cause any dangerous problems then he had no complaint. He turned away when he found the pan was not yet ready for use and stared deep into the woodwork of the table beneath him. The vacant eyes of the demon from the night before looked back at him and he shook his head to clear the image away, shifting his eyes up to the ceiling and kicking his feet up onto the table. But the images were stubborn and he caught himself too late looking back at the shriveled skin, observing the way it stretched over almost-human bones. It's frame was malnourished and broken as it glimmered like a million wet scales in the light. The sight had disturbed Rin, no matter how he tried he was unable to get the images of it out of his head. Something, aside from its appearance, wasn't right. Especially with that thing and how it had looked at him. At least he could be glad that he was the only one who seemed to be able to see it...

Glancing at the pan he heaved a sigh and got up with the realization that it had been given enough time to warm. The exorcist in training grabbed a flexible spatula. Using it to smear butter over the waiting pot he thought back to the 'patrol' he had performed that morning, attempting once again to dispel the strange visions in his head.

It was something set up by the priests because they lived in a fairly nasty neighborhood. 'Fairly nasty' meaning life or death nasty in both a demon and a human sense. As such the guardians of both Okumura's had set up a plan to keep them all safe; doing daily patrols.

Back when Rin thought he was still human he'd also had to do them and it wasn't like they didn't make sense to him. Out of everyone in the entire building he was probably the one with the best 'street education'. So he knew how dangerous the place he lived in was and therefore the caution taken on the part of the priests was completely normal to him.

In any case, the rule was whoever got up first had to be the one to do such walk. If more than one person got up at the same time then they'd both go out and do it. Being the morning sloth on most occasions meant he'd never really found the task a bother as he was always the last to awaken.

Now?

Not so much.

Even worse, all of his enhanced abilities as a demon were completely smothered. Mephisto had explained that the drug would do the equivalent of making them disappear to the brothers in further depth after Rin had- rather violently- awoken. Such reaction was his tail repelling the last effects of the drug, refusing to 'disperse' itself from Rin's tailbone. Aside from the blue-black appendage all the senses he had as a demon were covered by a very thick, water logged blanket. Therefore meaning the walk outside had been extremely cold, even despite the nearing end to April, and every step felt like tripping over a rock. He could still see okay due to the street lights but in a few corners he found himself encountering some rather painful events.

Rin's first 'note to self' of the day; head + large, brick wall = pain.

He continued to mentally grumble about the experience until he had finished cooking his meal. Walking through the kitchen doorway and into the Sanctuary, he stopped and looked at the floor. His eyes glazed over with an unfocused glint, memories flashing through his mind. Thoughts of how maybe he could have saved that old geezer, Shiro Fujimoto, drove semi-trailers into his psychological nerves. How could he let things go so wrong?

There was an odd sounding moan behind him, catching the boy completely unaware. His entire body jumped into the air and he whirled around, thinking that perhaps Bon had caught him in his moment of remorse. The battle position he took, however, served no use as the plate of eggs and bacon he had made for himself fell to the floor and brought Shiemi to full awareness.

"S-Shiemi? What are you doing up so early?" he sputtered in surprise.

The girl looked at him with a confused expression on her face for a few moments before suddenly snapping into full gear.

"What?" she looked around, "what did I get up for again?"

Rin let himself slump forward and twist his face into that of serious exasperation, "oi, if your gunna get up and scare the shit outta people the least you could do is remember what for!"

Her eyes suddenly grew wide, "Rin," she said and pointed to something behind him. His own eyes grew a notch and he twisted his head around to see something large and blue twitch in the dim light given by the kitchen. "Your tail," she finished before he could start wondering what the hell it was.

The teen had to blink a few times before recognizing it. Sure, he's been startled before, plenty of times. Even if he was considerably terrified for a few brief moments he could always just blow it off. His tail seemed to have other ideas, however, as it clearly expressed to the world just how unsuspecting he'd been. Man, he was _really _tired.

"It's not what it looks like, I'm just…" he was unable to find a proper excuse for the inflated tail that stood stock still behind him, fur standing up straight and making it appear three times larger. A flush of embarrassment flew across his face and he attempted to conceal it as he turned to the mess on the floor.

The blonde was by his side a moment later, picking up the plate and holding it for Rin to put the fallen food back on. She sputtered and squeaked in embarrassment, apologizing to him for frightening the teen so bad. He just smiled and told her it was alright, he wasn't really all that hungry anyway. The two faced a different dilemma, however, when everything had been cleaned and the plate had been put in the dishwasher.

Rin's tail still hadn't returned to its normal size.

"H-hey," he growled, "for every good thing this thing brings it comes with two more bad things," as he complained about the abuse his tail brought him Sheimi opened her mouth and made an offer.

"Do you want me to brush it down?" At this Rin got a little wary despite himself. Regardless of how many times he's seen her treat wounds, his body wasn't quite sure it could trust those suddenly very threatening looking hands. His mouth said to wait a few more minutes before he could decide to say yes. Of course a few minutes passed and it still hadn't grown any smaller. Forcing himself to submit, he soon found himself sitting cross legged on the table with his back facing Sheimi, who sat in a chair.

"O-okay," she said, "I'm going to start." His whole body tensed up instinctively, remembering all the times the poor appendage had been ill-treated. For Sheimi, however, this was the first time she'd ever even been able to get this close to it and she couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful and well groomed it was. She wondered if Rin had ever even bothered to groom it or if it was just natural.

Her fingers brushed over the soft fur smoothly and gently. Ever so slowly they brought out the tension and coaxed his fur to lie flat. The eldest Okumura found it almost odd that instead of hurting his tail had the ability to feel soothing. With all the abuse it was forced to take such a possibility just didn't seem probable. In its own way, the girl's experienced medical touch running along the blue-black appendage was like a back massage to one of those highly stressed kinds of business people.

"Ow," he grunted when her fingers accidentally pulled a loose hair from its position.

"Sorry," she apologized. Every now and again there might be a tiny pinch or an uncomfortable tug like this but it was never enough to invoke much more than a grumble. When he sighed, the Okumura failed to notice the relaxed purr that drifted along with his breath.

_He's starting to finally calm down, good,_ Sheimi thought with a smile and then added, _Rin's been way too tense lately, I wonder if it has anything to do with the mission?_

By the completion of her task, several minutes had passed and it was now 7:26. A few heartbeats of time let her gaze at the hook at the end of the blue-black appendage before Rin saw the time and leaped to his feet with a cry.

"_Shit, I gotta make breakfast for everyone!" _

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><p><strong>Lol, Rin and that unwanted habit of waking up XD<strong>

**I'm sure there are plenty of errors in this, but just bear with me for now because I'm HELLA tired and I don't have as much time as the next bitch. XD**

**I promise to get back to it tomorrow!**

**Edit: SHHH, I changed the date from winter to late spring but SHHHH XD I couldn't help it. I was writing up the recent chappy 'Thank You' and trying to do it in winter terms was just so….painful when it was, in reality, sunny outside that I just couldn't keep it like that.3. sorry for the confusion I bring you in weather terms (Now you know a little bit about how ADD the weather where I live is :D) Anyhoo, I'm working on another chappy that I may or may not actually post. It's more of a chore than I'd like to admit. We'll see XD**

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><p><strong>POWER REVIEW RESPONSE THING, GO!<strong>

**yarra:** XD but he HAS been sharing his money. They use it to make their meals and seeing the poor lifestyle they lived in previous I highly doubt Rin would be going around buying fancy leather jackets and shades XD

**Runningshadow135: **XD lol glad you like! I updated sooner then I thought I would. Too bad I have work tomorrow, otherwise id stay up later and do it.

**Ghost of a squash: **XD lol, thanks!

**Debbiekun3: **Good~ ^ ^ 'no matter what' I really wish I could but sometimes work is more important XD XD I'll have to do little shifts a lot. Going periodically from rapid fire posting to long waits. I know, but I have a life. It sucks but its also great XD not sure about that 'lost' part, there's a specific reason why Rin took so long as you'll find out in a later chappy. YAY!

**12417:** and then raaaagggeeeee XD

**Carol: **(chapter 1) but what about when I need to use my arms to type? O.e XD (chapter 18) you stayed up all night? That's not very healthy, as much as you love the story dontcha think sleep is more important than that? XD Tisn't going anywhere~ Love the appreciation tho!

**EmilineHarris5: **Awwwwwww, thank you so much That's the nicest review I've ever gotten ^ ^ And yeah, it was a little bumpy there so I made to smooth it out in this little chappy. Tell me how you think it works out

**Whoever-san: **I imagine because he's a bit more clever then we all assume. Just remember how he keeps on disappearing under Shura and Yukio's noses XD I WONNDDEERR~ XD Even with a description given I haven't said anything about it~ He certainly bursts in but not quite with blue flames. Since that drug Mephisto used on him is still in effect and he therefore can't use em. Thus the sheathed Kurikara. XD thank yooouuussss

**Lexie: **Thanks and yw~!


	20. Strings

**I'm going to admit right here, right now that I'm not entirely sure what's going on in this one. Not sure why…..**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Strings:

He and the other exwires had come to the Okumura's hometown to help exterminate the strange demon that had taken to roaming around their monastery.

Knowing this, Bon was confident in his belief that he had not, in fact, come to _wash dishes_.

_Why is it that whenever we go out on these types of missions we always have to do some sort completely unrelated chore while we could instead be trying to solve the problem!_ The gruff teen had woken up in a rather bitter mood that morning having had little sleep the night before. For whatever reason he had continuously woken up to nothing. No odd sounds, shadows or lights, or anything like temperature. With so few hours of sleep he'd so far faced the day with an already short patience-stick that just kept being whittled away by minor inconveniences. No matter how his subconscious told him it was only fair that he help clean up- just as it was in Kyoto- the rest of him couldn't help but rebel.

Bon glared hatefully at the dirty plate in his hand, rubbing it over with soap with merciless brutality before dipping it beneath the faucet and washing it off.

"This completely pointless," he said to Konekomaru, who took the plate out of his hand to start drying. The teen laughed nervously, wiping off the droplets of water without looking up.

"Well it can't be helped," he said, "after all there are too many of us here to leave the clergy with enough time and energy to do everything themselves. It's only fair we try to help." That said the short monk handed the dried plate to Shima who then placed it in its respected cupboard.

"I'm still surprised that Rin managed to get up and do all that work before any of us even woke up," Shima commented. Apparently the eldest Okumura had escaped from the tempting pull of sleep to greet the ass of dawn before even the sun had risen. After breakfast, when Kyodo and Nagatomo were assigning jobs to the exwires, the former had looked to Rin and after a few brief seconds of thoughtful silence he had begun listing things off.

"Locks? Electricity? Swept the Kitchen? Patrol?"

To which Rin had replied dully, "done. Done. Done. Done."

Kyodo had raised a suspicious eyebrow, but couldn't deny that the jobs had been done when he saw how clean the kitchen floor was. So that of course led to the conclusion that Rin had gotten up far earlier than what was expected of him, surprising the majority of the table. It seemed that even his caregivers hadn't known him to do such as Maruta had proceeded to interrogate him about his health, worried that he may have fallen ill. Izumo had pieced together from the clergy's response that Rin hadn't formerly been one to wake up early and she found herself curious as to what had provoked the change. She would have to look out for more information on the subject later, however, as Nagatomo sent her off to go and help Sheimi change sheets.

"I never thought he could even get up that early," agreed Konekomaru as Bon handed him another plate.

The probably oldest of the three frowned and his fiery glare seemed to increase when the memory of his last encounter with Rin's morning habits passed behind his eyes.

"That stupid, blueberry faced, monkey," he grumbled.

Shima let out a knowing laugh and joked, "Well look on the bright side Bon, at least there aren't any fake doors here."

The brown haired teenager's lower eye twitched and he turned towards his pink haired companion. "Then what the hell is that?" he asked, thrusting out a hand towards the green "_EXIT_" sign across the room and splattering droplets of water around as he did so. Below the bright letters was a blank expanse of wall, no door or escape route to be seen anywhere.

Shima couldn't contain the bubbles of laughter from popping out of his mouth and he struggled to respond, "at least there isn't an actual _door_."

"Shima-san," Konekomaru said in a tone somewhere between exasperation and concern. Despite this he had a spark of amusement in his eye when Bon turned back towards the dishes to glare at the plates darkly.

Silence forced each of their mouths shut and froze them in place when the sound of a guitar being played drifted into the kitchen, begging them to stop talking and listen.

Shima looked up to the ceiling as if expecting the answer to be written there and asked, "Is that a guitar?"

"It sounds like it's coming from the Sanctuary," Bon commented, forgetting his dark mood and turning towards the _real_ exit.

"I'm pretty sure we don't know anyone who can play so it must be one of the clergy," added Konekomaru as he abandoned his rag to move towards the door. The other exwires followed suit and soon they were all standing just outside the doorframe, watching Kyodo and Rin. A well-cared-for guitar was gripped in the elder's hands and the blue haired demon watched carefully as the priest played. Neither of the two had noticed them, being too focused on what they were doing to bother.

After a few minutes Kyodo stopped, pressing a hand on the strings to immediately prevent any sound and looked up to Rin.

"Does it make any sense now?" he asked. The blue haired exorcist seemed to think for a few seconds, folding his arms over his chest and making a face before responding.

"Alright! I get it!" he said victoriously after a seemingly long pause. Kyodo passed the instrument over to the teen so he could set it down on his lap and sling an arm over its body, grumbling something about the proper voice to a dominant seventh sharp five chord under his breath as he did so.

"Okumura-san can play the guitar?" Shima sounded surprised in his hushed whisper.

"There is no way that stupid monkey could ever play an instrument, they're too complicated for him," snorted Bon in response.

"Now play One Ok Rock's song, Love Heart Nokupido Noaibou," Kyodo said.

A grin split over the eldest Okumura's face, as if were a villain mentally celebrating a plan going exactly as it should and for a split moment Konekomaru thought that he had actually heard his companions. He waited a few moments before drawing his fingers over the strings, pressing down on each designated wire on the guitar's neck and strumming with his other hand.

The electric instrument belted out rapid notes, rising and falling perfectly before letting all sound slow and become lower in tune, like a base guitar it allowed a quiet set of chords to drift into the listener's eardrums. Konekomaru then realized that it must be custom designed because the instrument could change from a bass guitar to a regular electric with the use of a simple switch placed to the right of the pickup switch. It was a design in which he had not seen before, though granted he hadn't come across too many guitarists in his life either.

With a sudden burst of sound the electric took over the bass and the music sped up again. Kyodo watched with a pleased expression on his face and the trio of arias in training couldn't seem to figure out how to close their mouths. Soon enough the song drew to an abrupt end and silence poured throughout the room until a certain brown haired teen could no longer contain a shout of surprise.

"That stupid monkey can play the guitar?" Bon sputtered.

The smug grin on Rin's face was probably what provoked the challenge that ended up wasting even more time than the dishes did.

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><p><strong>Ok, for the record I know shit nothing about guitars. I wanted to make it seem like Rin was doing something really complicated without just flat out saying 'it's complicated'. And it friggn is because I looked all over for something to put down as evidence to that but I couldn't understand any of it XD <strong>

**So yeah, I hope everything is appealing because I've kinda forgotten a bit of the character's proper behaviors, couldn't for the life of me figure out what Rin should say since I put him in a situation where he was learning visually- something he is supposed to do well. Anyway, it's probably not gunna be as perfect as normal but it's just kinda a random idea that I thought you guys may like to take a look at. **

**Also, I have some really weird rough drafts that haven't even been finished, for previous chappys. If anyone really wants to see what happens BEFORE the final then just let me know and I'll throw em on the UPDATE chappy. XD**

**EDIT: Thanks to xxSweet Memory for correcting me about saying "base guitar" to "bass guitar"!**

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><p><strong>Reviews:<strong>

**PINKhairedBADASS: **(chappy 18) *makes a contemplative face* I supppooossseeee you were early enough not to get banished. *makes one of those dramatic frowns all rich ass, medieval kings do* XD naww thank you~! I feel like I've answered this review before though…..huh….whatever XD

**Hartanna:** XD Thank you~! Rin's tail is really fun to write about, it just screams "USE ME FOR CREATIVE PURPOSES!" XD hahaha, I make him cat like but when I think of what kind of animal he'd most likely be I always come up with big, blue-black, wolf.

**12417: **Weeeelll, it depends on how many people that one person is making breakfast for. I've had to make breakfast for people before and in order to do so I had to get up about ten to fifteen minutes earlier for one person. Though it also depends on how big the meal is XD Rin is making fairly large breakfasts (like eggs, bacon, and toast big) for 10 people. On top of that he had to do that patrol as well. So he had to get up at around 5, his normal time.

**Lexie: **XD thank yous~!

**DebbieKun3: ***puts on cape* Im so fathst! Hahaha, just glance and say ITS PERFECT! XD Awwwwww, you're a good reviewer XD You don't need to feel so strained though, if there's an absence in your reviews I won't hold it against you ^ ^ There are quite a few who have leveled out of reviewing, but I don't mind too much. If they wanna review they can, if they don't then don't XD Still, I appreciate reading feedback and talking to people such as yourself :D Oh believe me, it's not awkward XD Thanks for ya reviieeewww!

**The Puppet Master:** (chapter 13) :D Do you love it enough to make its master food .q. *drool* XD Nah, jk. Glad you like!

**Illuminati-4: **Thankies~! She can be a definite airhead at times, it's a idea to kinda play with. Im not sure about THEM meeting up with the demon, but Im sure the DEMON will meet up with them :D Crafty thing it is. I will try my best XD

**xxxSweet Memory: **XD no problem, no problem~ …*troll face* no problema! XD hahahaha, lucky for Rin Shura isn't there to abuse him in the first place. Hahahahahahahahaha XD it's a VERY important thing to know. Nice to know you liked it so much! Woah, that face is kinda intimidating… OwO (it KNOWS)

**Kikwoka: **AH! OMG REALLY? Shoot, I'm so, so sorry I missed that! D: do you think you could show me which review it was so I can post a response to it? ^ ^ Thankies, glad you liked it- though, the entire story I have going here is pretty much just random drabblets of filler as it is XD Hahaha, yeah I'll find my own cat doing the same things at times and I thought that it would match Rin's personality well. Concerning your confusion about the demon Rin saw I actualy PMed you about already so go ahead and give that a peak. Haha, thankies. And don't worry about it at ALL you have never once offended me, like I said to PINKhairedBADASS I could never get mad at any of my reviewers! I absolutely LOVE readin everyone's comments, yours among them! Just let me know whenever I miss any of them and I'll get to it as soon as I can.

**Rugiku: **(chappy 16) Hahahaha, thanks. Being-screwed-in-the-head-due-to-violent-animes-hi gh-fiiivveee! (chappy 20) Ok, good thanks. Hahahaha, you're a writers block? QUICK, JUMP DOWN THAT HOLE SO I MAY BE FREE OF BRICK WALLS XD (brick walls= writers block) Yaaayyyy! *bows* hahaha, his tail is quite a lot of fun to write about POSSIBLE SPOILERS! *light bulb* huh. That really works. But maybe instead of having a demon hiding in the grandfather clock it could be a possession similar to Amaimon or Astaroth? I want to work in something about the grandfather clock tho still, maybe there will be some sort of necklace or chain that lets the others see it too? For horrors sake? XD

**YellowWomanontheBrink:** D: doesn't it just fraggle you? ^ ^ Aww, dun worry about me ;) Things may be a bit jumbled but I can work it out just fine~ The concern is appreciated, though. ^ ^

**Hartanna: **D: *pats back* there, there. See? I can still give little updates, things are just a whole lot slower D:

**PINKhairedBADASS: **XD hahaha, I know what that feels like. The weather where I live is spontaneous and really friggn weird. CHOCOLATE! I had that for dinner tonight XD Was too busy writin this to make myself food, but I'll do that the second I finish up here. EGGS FOR DINNER YEAH! (I hate France too XD) Last I checked my fanfic wasn't eatable though… lemme check XD AMG, hmmm I have no idea XD hahahahahaha, just like "oh hey this sounds cool, I don't know what it means but lets use it!" Weird people are cool people XD Yw ^ ^ Aww, thank you XD

**WatchOutForWendigos: **(I FOUND OUT WHAT THE WENDIGO ISSSS!) (chappy 18) Oooohhh, well I suppose it depends on the demon and their stalker ability (immediately thinks of the thief skills in Skyrim) He does, he does XD and thank yous! (chappy 19) It may not be the first time but I'm still glad to hear you like it thanks!


	21. Updates 32912

**Uptidate:**

**Well….**

**It's spring….**

***sits in a rolly chair and spins for a few mins* what to do, all of guys surely assume I'm dead by now so it's unclear how many of you will find and read this update. **

**Meh *shrugs* I'll keep writing even if no one reviews anyway XD**

**But for those who have been waiting on me I wanted to say that I may actually start writing Ao No exorcist once more when Summer comes. I'm convinced that season is 100% the best time to write this so once I finally get my time and sun back I'll be writing again. **

**In all honesty I have actually written one or two pieces for this over the last few months, but I had to throw em out because, well, they sucked. .3. **

**Srsly, you wouldn't want to read them XD **

***bits lip and starts spinning again* I do feel a little bad though, so for those who have faithfully waited for so goddamn long I'll give you the best present I got. **

**I said in Chapter 18 I think that I had wrote it out like 5 times and had difficulty in making it. Before the one I posted was this one. Either it wasn't properly finished, felt odd, or just wasn't action-y enough for my tastes I chose not to reveal it until now. **

***sheepishly scratches head* I'll save all your lovely, lovely reviews for the real thing **

**And I apologize for my tardiness, thank you for those of you who haven't lost faith in me yet. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Arriving Hammer:

Yukio had just walked up the front steps to the familiar church he'd known for so long, trying to ignore the scratch marks on the side of the large door.

"The hell is this place?" whispered Shima.

"Almost looks like a haunted house," agreed Konekomaru.

"Maybe it's the wrong place," came Izumo's own nervous suggestion, not wanting to be caught in an incident similar to that of their exwire training camp. He frowned upon hearing the frightful tones but supposed that in the dark the looming shadow of the church may appear to be intimidating to those who did not know it as he. Of course, the scratches and flaking paint probably didn't give it a better image, nor did the great iron gates behind them. The timid teenagers looked to Yukio hopefully and he sighed.

"This is the indeed the right place," and without waiting for an answer from them he rapped a knuckle on the heavy wooden door. A few heartbeats passed before, without warning, it flew open. The loudness of it caused even Yukio to jump as he was suddenly met with a face of hardened tan features, seemingly almost tired and scarred cheeks lifting up into a bright smile as a cry escaped the brown haired priest's lips.

"Ah! It's Yukio!" a small mustache quivered slightly on his upper lip as he grabbed the young Okumura and dragged him inside, shouting to someone the students could not see; "They're here!"

The next thing they all knew, a group of highly trained exorcists were hauling them into the building with warm smiles that did not match the impression of the house. Yukio was treating, and being treated, as if he was a boy returning home.

"Welcome home, kid," laughed one with blond hair spiked up, slapping the black haired teen's shoulder playfully.

"Good to see you're doing well," said another with curly brown hair waving around his ears.

"But where's Rin-san?" came the concerned query from a large man with thick, black eye-brows and one arm in a sling.

"Wait, how do you guys know the Okumuras?" Izumo asked, surprised.

"Eh? You didn't tell them?" asked the blond priest.

"Sorry, Izumi, I didn't feel it necessary," admitted Yukio in an almost sheepish manner.

"Well I suppose that's true," nodded the one who'd answered the door," my name is Kyodo and this is Nagatomo," he gestured to the man with curly brown hair, then to the blond, "Izumi," and finally to the plump, black haired man, "and Maruta. I suppose you could consider us something of the Okumura's caretakers when they were small."

The wave of surprise that hit the group of stunned exwires was collectively shown in their widened eyes, Shima jolting and Konekomaru letting his mouth gape open. Izumo didn't appear all that surprised by it, but Sheimi behaved as her older comrade did when Bon allowed himself to sweep his gaze over the rows of pews and candles standing in a cluster at the front of the chapel.

"That stupid blue monkey grew up here?" despite himself, he'd let his imagination conjure images of a large mansion with gargoyles and old haunted rooms containing a Victorian style piano; keys yellowed and tunes low and dusty. He'd even pictured coffins lined up in the wine cellar.

"Hahaha, good that he's finally made some friends," laughed Nagatomo.

_Finally made some friends?_ The confused and worried thought clouded the little blonde's eyes as Sheimi remembered Rin's apparent, and misunderstood reluctance to become her friend in those early months of knowing each other.

"Speaking of Rin, you still haven't answered Maruta's question, Yukio," said Kyodo, turning to said exorcist.

"ah," the sheepish smile on his face was whipped away by a more serious expression, " he wanted to visit father first."

"His father?" Konekomaru yelped.

"Foster-father," snapped Izumi, offended on Shiro's behalf. Kyodo sent the youngest priest a look before he returned his attention to the young Okumura standing beside him to change the subject abruptly.

"In the meantime, why don't we have Maruta show these guys to their rooms and let them unpack? I'm sure you've got something's that need to be taken care of so I'll let you do what you need to while the rest of us make dinner. Sound good?"

"Yes, thank you," Yukio smiled and let the three other men make their way to the kitchen, leaving the group of True Cross Students and Maruta behind. "Alright, Maruta, I'm going to go and drop off my things in the room Nii-san and I share. I'll meet you all back here in a half an hour. By then he should have returned," the teenager instructed with a clear voice that could be heard throughout the rows of pews.

"Ok, be careful of the stairs though, the bottom step is gone," the big man warned as looked at the younger with a knowing smile. The way the 'four-eyes' turned to grab his things, hiding a small blush of embarrassment signaled all the past times he'd tripped on said steps due to his problem seeing. Maruta smiled and then gestured to the exwires standing with their own bags lain down at their feet.

As he led them through the hall breaking off on the right side of the chapel, the friendly priest asked them questions about themselves and shortly after they were talking to each other normally. When Izumo asked about the Okumura's foster-father, however, the large man shook his head and told them that he'd been the one to discover the two demon children, raising them until it had cost him his life. He wouldn't answer any further questions.

Bon had also found the church to be larger than expected, the halls weaving around with doors sewn in on one side and windows lining the other. Looking out these windows showed to him the back garden, a forest of unkempt vines and wildflowers snaking around the dirt. As they passed this sight, Sheimi had appeared as if she wanted to run back out into the mass of plants and tidy them up; pull out the weeds and replace them with beautiful assortments of herbs and other flowers. Maruta had noticed the looks she gave the little ruin as he smiled sheepishly, saying that none of the priests were really gardeners and Yukio didn't have the time to fit such an act into his schedule.

The room that the group had been given was at the far end of the hall. Just after the lining of windows halted there were three rooms; on the left was the boys, the right was the girls, and just in front was a bathroom. They'd dropped off their bags to discover freshly washed sheets and neatly made beds waiting for them. Given fifteen to twenty minutes to unpack, the exwires chose their beds and had Maruta show them where the bathrooms were.

"I'd show you all were the showers are too but we're running out of time and Yukio-san won't be happy if we're late," the man apologized after pointing out the public bathrooms used on Sundays and then the more obvious one wedged right between their rooms. "They happen to be on Rin and Yukio's side of the chapel, though, so tomorrow I'm sure one of them could show you where they are," Maruta smiled reassuringly just as they reentered the Sanctuary. The younger Okumura twin was already set waiting for them at the front of the pews and greeted them with a smile as the round-bellied-priest asked, "Has Rin-kun come back yet?"

At this he frowned and shook his head, "Unfortunately, no."

Before Konekomaru could ask them what was wrong, noticing the whispers of worry passing through both exorcists' eyes, a call from the kitchen interrupted him.

"If that kid doesn't get his ass in this church soon I'm going out to find him and when I do be prepared to stitch him back together, Yukio!"

Shima's mouth flew open and his eyes widened as he exclaimed in surprise, "that's some insane hearing."

"That's just Nagatomo, he's been known for his good hearing," the exorcist teacher reassured, pushing back his sleeve to check the time.

Barely five minutes passed by before the great twin doors at the entrance finally groaned open.

"I'm hoooome!" Rin called, walking in with his shoulders slumped and a lazy expression dragging his eyes downwards. He would never admit it aloud, not even at the cost of his life, but at this moment Bon felt a twinge of worry for his friend. The smart teen hadn't forgotten about what had been said earlier nor had the uneasy vibe his teacher and fellow priests had been giving off. The way those blue eyes looked accusingly at the wooden flooring both worried and irritated him.

_This little punk, he's got too many damn secrets,_ Bon thought, narrowing his eyes.

Just then a spoon flew out from the kitchen door and collided with the teenager's blue head so hard it snapped back. A few seconds passed where the elder Okumura was balancing on one foot, leaning back before shooting forward to scream at the one who had launched the metal projectile. "What the hell Nagatomo?"

As Rin was greeted by a friendly argument with the curly, brown haired man, a noogie from Kyodo, a crushing hug from Maruta, and a slap on the back from Izumi, Bon made himself his own side mission for the week.

_Since that guy isn't going to open up willingly, I'll just have to force him._

**I realize that parts such as where Yukio says he didn't think telling the exwires that the church was where he and Rin had grown up are off, as well as other pieces as well.**

**You don't **_**have**_** to read my brain vomit if you **_**don't want to**_**, so this is just for those who are easy going in the face of certain levels of OOC. **

**Anyway, hopefully it was a good read. Gotta go make myself dinner now though~**

**Tata! **


	22. Thank You

**I've seen all those lovely reviews you've all given me- *throws up confetti* yayover200! :D :D- but I'm gunna answer those later cause there are a lot of them. I'm actually considering the production of a review page XD I get so many that a good portion of the beginning parts of my chapters are just overwhelmed by them . Srsly, they're all you see at first. It'd just be to make things little more organized and easier for those who don't review and probably don't appreciate having to face such a big block of black text first thing. XD Soooo yeeaaah.**

**Chew on this for now, until I get back into the swing of things~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Thank You:

Rin held himself back from shivering, longing for the warmth his flames provided as he waited for his meal at the corner café with his friends, sitting at a round table. For being the end of April it was still fairly cold and the group had decided to take a quick break from their little demon hunt to eat lunch at a restaurant Rin had often passed but never actually eaten at. The goal that day had been both to find the demon and dig up information on it through the various libraries the city held. Seriously, Rin had never been in half of those, let alone knew half of them were even there.

Anyway, this meant that half of the day had been spent drifting and even despite the fervent efforts to find the damn thing nothing so far had succeeded as planned. By that he meant that they hadn't been able to find the specific demon they were looking for but had been sure as hell able to find _plenty _of others. It was like finding thousands of mice or termites living underneath your house, they just didn't end!

So thoroughly exhausted the group had decided to take a quick break and fill their empty stomachs on whatever they could find nearby. Apparently, however good Rin's cooking was it wasn't good enough for them to sit patiently and wait for him to actually cook it. An idea that had him scoffing at the absurdity but nevertheless submitting to their idea to eat at _Comanche's Diner_ on the corner. Resting his chin on the edge of their table after first sitting down Rin had commented (more like mumbled) on how he was too tired to cook for Bon's fatass anyway and had promptly received a harsh thwack upside the head with the latter's menu. From there the two had exhibited the remainder of their energy by falling into a, by now, very familiar routine of arguing with each other.

Sighing, the blue-black haired exwire briefly closed his eyes to relish in the sunlight. Yukio had thought it a good idea to sit out in the day's rays rather than coupe themselves up inside any longer, sympathizing with those who had been kept in the library participating in research all day. Thank god Rin hadn't been one of those unlucky souls.

"Aahh, it feels so nice to be outside," Konekomaru smiled pleasantly, leaning back in his chair much like Rin currently was. The knight's ears twitched at the sound of his friend's wooden chair creaking beneath him.

"Are you kidding?" The half-demon caught Izumo's disdainful mumble from across the table over the sound of a car passing by, "It's freezing out here."

Her complaint was instantly met with an eager offer from Shima, "would you like to borrow my co-?"

"No," she replied just as quickly. Rin could picture her face drawn into a perfect form of tediousness, Shima's a frame of rivaling disappointment beside it and he pressed his index fingers together with a pout. The elder Okumura was distracted from the sound of approaching footsteps by Shiemi's laugh a few moments later and he smiled at the serenity gathered around their lethargic little table as they waited for the arrival of their meals.

Perhaps if he'd been more awake he'd have caught that familiar scent.

Perhaps if he hadn't been unfocused he'd have noticed the nearing presence, the impending footfalls. But no, he failed to pick up on the small warnings and paid the price a second later when her voice broke past Bon's reprimanding "don't smile like that, it's creepy."

"Rin?" the plump woman cried, surprised to see the teen slumped in his chair at a coffee shop she'd never seen him so much as glance at.

The teen whirled abruptly, jumping in surprise at the sound of the pale red-head's voice just past the little iron gate that caged in the café's guests.

She beamed upon seeing his face, not seeming to notice the look of fleeting horror in his expression when she continued, "oh thank goodness I finally found you! I never really got the chance to thank you for saving my son's life back then!"

Now Rin probably could have handled a stare down with a _gun barrel_ better than he could the present situation. He stared at her with wide-eyed shock, not at all sure of what he was supposed to do or to say. Half the time he did something that involved any sort of violence, regardless of the who and why factors he was rounded up and dealt punishment equal to that of his foe(/s). Well, if he hadn't hospitalized them first of course. More than once he'd saved some little girl or some obsessively loved toddler from a bully and had to face a brutal tongue lashing from said spoiled brat's parents afterwards.

And that was if he was lucky.

After all he was a devil, and who would believe such a 'naughty' child as him?

Behind him, his friends were having similar reactions; surprised and unable to properly collect themselves in time to say anything aside from "you did what?"

"U-uh, y-yeah," he nodded to the caramel eyed woman, unable to remember her name. Thinking back, he couldn't ever recall her giving it to him. All he could conjure was the image of her boy; a dark chocolate haired kid with an expensive white sweatshirt matted with dirt and blood from his scuffle with Akusai (another of the schools many bullies). Hadn't the kid's name been Kiraku or something? Rin had just been walking home from getting groceries that night, not really looking where he was going and just letting instinct take the reins when he saw the fight taking place behind a kid's play-place. Akusai had been joined by one of his other friends Shishiza and together the two were beating poor Kiraku with a combination of their fists and Shishiza's metal baseball bat.

Naturally, Rin had stepped in and swung a few practiced punches to send them on their way. And although he hadn't been left unscarred- having to bear through a fractured clavicle and all- he'd made it out okay. Better than Kiraku at least. Poor kid had 5 broken ribs, a broken arm and nose, countless bruises including his ego, and a concussion. The elder Okumura must have debated calling an ambulance or just bringing him home for fifteen minutes before finally deciding to call an ambulance with the kids cell phone and then just booking it. No need to get into any more trouble than he'd already have to deal with when he actually got back to the monastery. He'd just assumed that the kid had passed out before he arrived, not after.

The woman let out a loud, breathy sigh of relief and put a hand to her chest as she continued, "who knows what those boys would have done to him if you hadn't come in back then! I really can't thank you enough for what you did!"

Apparently not. The eldest Okumura couldn't decide on an appropriate expression to give the woman as she thanked him again for saving the kid from the unruliness of Akusai and Shishiza, wanting to both scowl and smile and the same time.

"If there's anything you need, anything at all, just give me a call and I'll be right over," she said handing him a business card and giving him a respectful head bob. His mind still rather numb, the blue haired exwire reached out to take it, nodding his head in return out of habit as he did so.

"Sure thing," he said, his confusion reflected in his voice. Either the woman was very dull or very understanding because she made no comment on his behavior and merely continued to smile. She thanked him one final time before turning to leave Rin and his companions in stunned silence.

"Okumura-san," Konekomaru was the first to break through the muted atmosphere, "who was that?"

Blinking out of his own form of stupor, the young exorcist in training looked at the card in his hand, "Mizuumi J. Gekkeiju?" he offered the explanation as though he wasn't quite sure.

"You mean you didn't know her?" Shima burst loudly, surprise pulling his chin down. Before Rin could respond by slamming the card down on the table and growling an insult at his friend Dark Yukio decided to make an appearance. Tension balled in the elder Okumura's shoulders and he almost shuddered at the speak-now-or-I'll-make-you-wish-you-had-later glare his younger twin cast onto the back of his neck from his seat beside Moriyama.

"Nii-san," the other almost growled as he pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of nose.

Swallowing a hot ball of nervousness, Rin turned to the other and said simply, "remember when I came home with that broken collar bone?"

Unfortunately for the others, that was all the young genius needed as an explanation. Able to sew the rest of the explanation up himself from just that one sentence as a waitress came in with their food. Rin managed to provide enough of an (albeit very rough) explanation of what happened for them, leaving out a healthy chunk of detail in the two sentences he used to explain things to them. As far as Rin was concerned it was just another part of his life, just as running around and watching his father chant sutras as a kid was to Bon, so he really thought it as nothing special. And it certainly wasn't special enough to warrant a full narration.

The encounter was soon pushed aside by Rin, though it remained to stew at the back of his mind, as he consequently forced his friends to do the same. Maybe someday soon they'd learn of the frequencies with which Rin had fought his way around. Of the bars and various pubs that knew his name or of the drug dealers who frequently pointed fingers at him whenever he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during one of their exchanges.

Just maybe they'd learn of his street life before his demon life.

* * *

><p><strong>*blink blink*…..*rolls over* zzzzzz<strong>

**What? It's summer now, ima make the most of it!**

**(I haven't gotten to reading the recent chapters of the manga yet so no spoilers in the reviews if u will. XD I'm going to get to those later today but right now I'm busy uploading stuff for you guys!)**

**Oh yeah, that's right. Debbie-kun drew some pic that she wanted me to advertise in my next chappy so here we go:**

** debbiekun . deviantart gallery/ **

**And heres one from Lexi too:**

**www. thetornweaver . deviantart art/Okumura-Rin-296690273**

**There are some spaces in them so when u visit don't forget to get rid of em first! **


	23. Street Race

…**Anyone ever seen that movie called the "Crazies"? think: guy with a pitchfork stabbing women in a hospital and you've pretty much got it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't Own Ao No Exorcist**

Street Race:

Rin smiled contentedly as he fed the stew in front of him, turning down the heat as it began to bubble. The clock on the stove read 7:45, which he had to admit was a little late to be making dinner. Nevertheless there was little room for complaint as he and the other exwires were kept out late doing research and attempting to locate this still yet to be named creature.

Sitting at the table behind him Kyodo, Maruta, and Yukio were discussing strategies that they would attempt to use tomorrow, dropping the research idea for now with the realization that the demon in their focus just wasn't in the books. Izumo was out taking a bath and Shiemi was doing laundry. He'd offered to help her, after showing Izumo where the showers were, but she'd turned him down with a grateful smile and innocently reminded him that he still had to make dinner for eleven people. Eleven, very _hungry_ people at that. The other five; Nagatomo, Izumi, Bon, Konekomaru, and Shima were all on a larger scale patrol and wouldn't be back for another hour or so (1). But that didn't mean they wouldn't be even hungrier and it certainly didn't help that they were all men. Though Rin may jeer and say that he had his doubts.

Rin set to work on peeling a few potatoes while a nearby pot sat heating on the stove. The counter was littered with all assortments of ingredients that he'd had to buy earlier that day and the smells of his own cooking were starting to make even his mouth water. Just then, as he was pulling out the trashcan from beneath the sink, the phone began to ring. Lifting his head the blue haired teen searched the caller ID and found a number he didn't recognize. Figuring that it was probably just a client for the exorcists behind him he wiped his hands and picked up the phone.

"Yeah?" He asked, not bothering to state who he was or what church was answering even though he was probably supposed to.

"Rin Okumura?" a guttural voice asked, dark whispers staining the tone with an odd, sandpaper-y sound. It was almost like one of those voice modulators that malformed the speaker's voice and made it impossible to recognize the person on the other end.

He narrowed his eyes, of course not recognizing the person who he was speaking to at all, "who is this?" he demanded. If this was some sort of prank Yukio would have one pissed off half-demon on his hands. Rin simply didn't have the patience for children, at all. The table behind him was suddenly shadowed by silence as the others caught the irritation in Rin's tone.

"My name is none of your concern," the voice began but got no further when a metaphorical knife came down on Rin's last thread of patience.

"Then I'm hanging up," he snapped and tossed the phone back into its cradle. Grumbling to himself he returned to the rice that waited for his attention.

"Who was it?" Kyodo asked.

"Wrong number," Rin grumbled. It would be much later that he'd realize perhaps hanging up so abruptly might not have been such a good idea. But in his defense, picking up the phone to such a 'threatening' tone wasn't as uncommon as one might think. It was annoying as hell but often times it was either a prank call or some guys that wanted to get back at Rin for something stupid. At the present moment he had his hands quite literally full and without that tendril of patience he wouldn't get very far with such morons. Seriously, he'd been gone for almost a year (or less?) what kind of idiot holds a petty grudge for that long? Whoever it was and whatever they wanted _he_ wanted nothing to do with it.

His cellphone promptly buzzed in his pocket.

He promptly ignored the call.

"Aya, another prank caller, right?" Maruta asked with a good natured grin. Rin's tail flicked back and forth irritably, more than enough of a response to fill the lack of words between them.

"Nii-san, it's just a bunch of kids," Yukio reminded him. Rin huffed and turned, a hand still holding the spoon he was using to stir the fried rice kept dipped in the still cooking meal as he angled his head over his shoulder to glare at the younger.

"You try dealing with them twenty-four-seven!" he retorted.

Yukio pushed his glasses up and replied casually as he turned back to the notes in front of him, "we've only been here 2 days, Nii-san and this is the first time we've received a call like that."

His cell phone buzzed again, forcing him to once more reach into his pocket and press the 'ignore' button. Pulling out a cutting board he began to cut up the previously peeled potatoes before emptying the large chunks into the pot that had just begun to boil. For the next ten minutes his damned cell phone went off three more times and on the fourth call he finally acquiesced to its will and tore it from his pocket. Placing it against his ear he walked out to the Sanctuary ready for a verbal war but was met with silence instead. Silence save for the sound of someone breathing.

"How did you get this number?" he growled and was met by a moment or two of of more silence, "wel-"

"I'm outside the Chapel," the voice whispered and Rin stiffened whirling to face a window across the Sanctuary. On the other side of the long window stood a figure cloaked by the shadows of late evening. The sky was dark with rain, making sundown even darker than usual. But Rin was still able to see the other through the shadows, the outline of his disheveled hair captured by a dirty beanie, the torn rags that adorned his body and wide, wide, round eyes that stared at him with a slightly baffled expression, reflecting the fading light. Through the blanket of shadows he was able to make out only a little more than the man's outline, enough to see that he was homeless.

Rin narrowed his eyes at the figure outside the Chapel, angry cerulean burning into blank, unchanging, blackness. Despite being seen, despite Rin obviously knowing he was there he didn't move. At all, not even a facial twitch. The blue haired exwire was first thinking that he was a demon but then an odd feeling prickled across his skin. A flash of confusion in his eyes as his tail lifted curiously and Rin was set on defining the new feeling coursing through him. It was sort of like when you forget something and a part of you _knows _that something is missing but it also doesn't know what that something is. The half-demon's eyebrows rose a little in realization. The man in front of him was just that;

A man.

His instincts could not find the demon in him, no possession, no nothing. The figure now knocking on the church's window was just one of the many misfortunes that shuffled through the back allies, out of sight around the Southern parts of True Cross Campus Town. It was clear to him that the man wasn't right in the head, as it would be to anyone in the position he was met with. No sane person shambled into another's yard and knocked on their window with such a dull, gaping expression. Though, it also made it easier to identify the other due to previous encounters of a similar nature. People who were high may behave in a way not unlike this, often leading people to call them crazy and after a while that's exactly what they'd become as the drugs such a person would be taking would not leave the mind unmarred. As cruel and unfair as it was, Rin knew that there was nothing anyone could do for this man, after all there was no insane asylum in this city- hell there was barely even a police force. The only way to avoid getting into such a situation as this would be to stay away from certain parts of the city.

The problem there though was that he hadn't even _been_ in that part of town yet! So how and why was this clearly unstable man rapping on his window, staring at Rin as though he expected him to open it for him. Concern creased the young exwire's eyebrows together and the elder Okumura tried to come up with a way to get rid of him. It was then that an idea sprung to mind, pulling him slowly and carefully back towards the kitchen.

Leaning through the doorway Rin called, "Ky-" he stopped himself just in time, "Maruta, I need you to watch the pots for me. I gotta go get some basil from the grocery store."

"Oi, are you insinuating that I can't watch a pot?" Kyodo demanded, expression offended.

_Judging by the last seven meals you've ruined, yeah_, for once, Rin kept the thought to himself.

"Sure thing, Rin-kun," the plump priest replied with mirth in his eyes, ignoring his comrade's complaint and waving the eldest Okumura twin away. Before Yukio could make any protests against letting his demonic elder leave the house after dark unattended he'd dipped his head back around the corner. Obviously, he couldn't go out the front door so he'd have to go out through the more inconspicuous back. Jogging through the east corridor, lined by windows on the right, the man gave chase keeping his gaze on Rin all the way as he kept close the glass. The blue haired teen didn't look at him, keeping him in his peripheral vision but not centered as he focused on the task at hand. Turning into another hallway Rin put a hand on the door handle at the end and burst through it. The second his sneaker hit the gravel he was running full throttle across the yard, knowing he was going to need the momentum to clear the wall. Leaping up he hooked his hands on the red brick and heaved the rest of his body up, turning to see his pursuer only a few steps behind.

He cursed and slid down the other side just as the man made a grab for him. Rin didn't stop to wait for the other to clear the wall, instead just slowing down to make sure he didn't lose the guy so close to the Chapel. After all, what good would leading him away from his home be if he could just wander right back to it? He had to get the other man thoroughly lost as well, relying on the man's ill state of mind in the process and silently hoping he'd be smart enough not to return. In a town where demons were frequent it was probably best to go in the opposite direction of the coal tars, and to the humans that would pretty much be the wind. Needless to say this new demon was attracting plenty of them around the church and he'd no doubt have to help get rid of them later.

The mad man was about 15 paces behind the teen when he'd last checked, following him down the deserted street and easily chasing Rin around the various corners and sharp turns. Rin didn't glance over his shoulder more than twice and as he came up to an intersection that he would need to cross, his gaze ascended to the mirror attached the stop sign/traffic lights. The crazy pursuer was about 10 paces away now.

"Tch," he hissed and bolted across street, receiving various angry honks as he went. Slipping through the crowd he made his way into a damp alleyway. His sneakers slapped the pavement, dancing around a puddle as though he'd memorized the exact longitude and latitude with which it sat in the middle of his path. He leaped over a trashcan, turning his upper body around as he did so to double check on the length between himself and the expressionless hunter.

8 paces now. Dropping back on the ground he kept his legs wide spread and redirected his movement to pass into a branching off alleyway, one that had been hidden in the darkness. Full on sprinting now, Rin knew that if he was going to lose the man this would be the place to do it. Unfortunately for him, though, the street he'd turned on wasn't the one he'd thought it was and soon he found himself racing passed back pubs, leaping over horribly drunk couples digging into each other's faces, dodging around crowds of strippers, and basically dancing through the kind of territory you don't want to be in when your being chased.

He kept himself from groaning, all he'd wanted to do was make dinner, eat and talk with his friends, and then go to bed. Was that really so much to ask? It was this kind of reminder that ticked him off. Life's almost perky way of saying, "oh yeah, you live, like, 3 blocks from the slums. Have fun~!" Granted, the neighborhood he lived in wasn't the worst one to grow up in, it sure as hell wasn't like the slums he was running through as of current. But it was the kind of place where you walked passed a park of children and all the mothers are suddenly glaring at you- the kind of place where you had to be suspicious of the store clerk that's always smiling because if he seems overly friendly then it's probably because he probably has your wallet.

_Shit,_ Rin was jarred from his thoughts when the ugly sight of a large, brick wall standing a few meters ahead came into sight with all its dripping, graffiti diseased glory. He couldn't slow down though, not with the crazy man five paces behind him now.

This was either going to go very badly or very well.

He sped up, slammed a sneaker against the wall, took three steps upwards before his tail whipped its way out of his shirt and helped him get that needed fourth. Then he pushed himself away from the bricks, back flipping off the wall in a show of uncharacteristic flexibility that had him curling around the dirty man who had chased him for the better part of fifteen minutes. It was almost like something from that movie called _The Matrix_. Knocking his knee into the other's head as he passed, Rin landed neatly behind his opponent and couldn't help but mentally gape at his own luck. _Holy crap that was awesome!_ He thought and without pause moved to stand up from his crouched position while at the same time twisting his body around to continue running back the way he'd come.

But a calloused hand wrapped around his tail and pulled him back. The blue haired exwire's first instinct was to scream in pain, but knowing the neighborhood immediately shushed him. His next instinct was to fight back tooth and nail, claw and bone, against the_ moron_ who was clutching his tail in a vice like grip.

It had been quite some time since Rin had felt so ticked off, a long time since he'd seen red. He'd never know where such a dangerous rage came from, would never think that it came from the amount of times his poor tail was abused. Normally, a smart demon would keep his tail hidden to avoid such instances but Rin appreciated the spacious feel of having his tail out and as a result had to bear the consequences. Not that keeping it in his shirt helped any though what with the golden bind still on his tail and its competency to burst out just as it had a few seconds prior.

The crazy man hadn't been expecting Rin to whirl around so suddenly and probably hadn't been expecting him to slam his fist into his face full force either. He didn't even have time to figure out how the other had moved to fast, didn't even know he'd been hit until that spark of pain erupted throughout his skull. He probably wouldn't catch up with the event even after he woke up the next day.

Panting, Rin stood over the unconscious man, forcing his rage down as the Kurikara on his back warmed with barely contained flames. He wasn't allowed to unsheathe his blade at all over the course of the week as the result would have his flames and all his demonic glory rushing back at full force. Even though he wasn't allowed to use it he kept it with him, assuming the action better than leaving it with a demon no one seemed to know anything about. Slightly stunned at his own behavior, Rin let out a shameful curse and leaned down to the unconscious figure to check his jaw. He was no doctor but, he thought in the dim lighting that it looked alright (2). The poor man would likely be very, _very_ sore the next morning and probably wouldn't be able to remember what had happened at all.

Clenching both teeth and fists as he stood, pain lacing through his spine and lower back, he made his way through the darkness lit dimly by unmaintained lamps. Easily finding his way out of the back alleyway Rin was lucky enough to find himself standing beside the very store he'd said he was leaving to get basil from earlier. Tucking his tail into his shirt and thanking whatever higher power existed- honestly he didn't care at this point- he entered the store and gathered up a clump of the needed herb before checking out.

Looking up at the town center's clock just outside the market Rin winced at the time; 8:27. In short it would take him another seventeen minutes to get back to the Church. He sighed, and began the trudge home not looking forward to what would greet him when he arrived.

_Extra-_

Bag of basil in one hand Rin opened the door to his home with a tight grip and a subtle tension to his voice called out, "I'm hoooome!"

"Welcome b-" Maruta began but was abruptly interrupted by Nagatomo's bark.

"You didn't get into another fight again, did you?" the priest seemed more worried despite the anger in his tone. They were all far too accustomed to him being late on the fault of a fight and it seemed that, in a way, they were almost trying to fill the space that Shiro left behind, being the one to always lecture Rin on his constant belligerence. The elder Okumura knew better than to be angry over it and it wasn't the first time they'd had to yell at him in the old man's place so it was nothing new to him.

Rin paused to think; was being chased by a mad hobo, corned into a back ally and forced to fight because said hobo grabbed his tail considered _a _fight per se? Rin's lack of a response was enough to spur a hard collision with Kyodo. AKA: a flying kick to the stomach.

"You haven't even been here for two full days and your already getting into fights again?" the elder priest shouted (3). Thrown back into the front double doors had Rin's tail bashing into the hard wood and pressed up against them painfully. He gasped at the flaming agony that cork-screwed up his tailbone and almost snarled savagely at Kyodo when he moved to help the other up.

"Damnit, Kyodo, check first!" he barked at the elder, accepting his help and stiffening when another nail of pain was driven into his back.

"Rin!" Shiemi's cry of alarm and sudden appearance at his side startled the poor half demon into jumping, jarring his tail in the process.

Tears pricking at the corners of his eyes he gave her a shaky thumbs up, shoulders held forwards and a pain filled grimace that was probably meant to be a smile on his face. "I feel fine!" he attempted to assure her, "don't worry it's just a scratch."

He had to bring one hand around to grab his tail and keep it from curling.

It took 6 minutes to persuade Shiemi that he was okay, 11 to convince the priests and Yukio that he hadn't gotten into a fight, and less than 1 to avoid explaining the 'getting into fights on a frequent basis' thing to Bon, Shima, and Konekomaru. After giving 4 minutes to Yukio to look at his abused tail and apply some bandages to the various, unexplainable little tears that littered the blue-black appendage Rin finished making dinner and explained what happened to his friends and family over the meal. Though, it was a little awkward to be so open about something he'd planned on keeping to himself.

Yeah, kinda hard to do that when you're living with ten people who all know you better than you seem to think. Almost like they were stalking you.

In any case, it wasn't until later that night, after he'd showered, done his chores with the rest of the exwires, and lay in bed that he began to piece something rather enigmatic together. Thinking back, Rin realized he hadn't heard the man speak a single word. He'd heard someone on the phone sure, but the psycho following him…

The thought trailed off as his eyes began to expand, remembering a key detail he'd encountered but hadn't thought too much about at the time. The man who had chased him had only half a tongue, likely because of smoking or some kind of accident. Whatever the case there wasn't enough of the muscle to speak with, therefore making the man a mute and explaining the lack of sound during the chase. No 'hey you's or 'wait's or 'come back devil!' to race out of his pursuers mouth as he sometimes found them doing.

He wasn't unfamiliar with street chases.

The blue haired exwire's blood chilled as he suddenly apprehended a certain aspect of the recent events;

If the man chasing him was a mute, then who the hell was on the phone back then?

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, worst way to leave off a chapter. ever. It's so original and cliché but it's going to lead to<strong> **something about the demon too! BAH! Ahhh, that demon… That demon is a bitch, just sayin' ._. (no it does not have a gender) I swear, I just wana call it Micky Faggots and have it drool on Izumo while she sleeps XD And ugh, I still have to incorporate an explanation of Rin's frequent fights in for Bon but I can't have Rin do it because that just wouldn't work right and I don't have a situation in mind where Rin would be forced to. Therefore-OMGWAIT *lightbulb* got it. See what ranting does? It helps~ a little… *sigh* I wana write really creepy shit so I'm going to be plugging some o' dat into the chapter that has an explanation for Bonbon and the others. **

**This is Challenging. .x. **

**(1) Bon, Shima, and Konekomaru need to stop tailing each other its friggn buggin' me. I wana mix 'em up but why would Konekomaru stay behind to read in their temp. room or why would Shima stay behind to….we're not gunna talk about what he'd probably do. D: They're too friggn predictable. Hopefully they'll get a little more challenging in the latest manga chappies….?**

**(2) Yeeaahhh, again Rin's no doctor he can't see the shattered jaw bone. :/ His blow was pretty strong and on top of having some pretty bad amnesia the guy's gunna need to go to an underground doctor. **

**(3) I wonder how many of you notice the little eggs I leave you in these chappies. Come on think about it, where have we seen that move before? Food for thought, food for thought! (also, poor Kyodo, he's so stressed)**

**Also, sorry for not uploading sooner .x. something was going on with fanfiction last night and I couldn't upload the chappy. **


	24. The Bar

**KEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW- **

**=3= I know I said I'd make this chappy the one where Bon and everyone else is told about Rin but then I figured I'd do this instead because, well, it flows better. And it's cooler, makes nicer humor. **

**Disclaimer: I TOTALLY own it. All of it. All mine. O_o (sarcasm plz)**

The Bar:

Rin's foot tapped against the pavement impatiently as he surveyed his friends, waiting for Yukio to come to a decision as they wait on the corner of Heigh Avenue on 18th street, just outside a second hand shop. The little shop looked innocent enough, as did the people all walking by. The cars whooshing back and forth and the smell of _Pongs Thai Restaurant_ on the other side of the street wafting over on the wind, Rin tried not to drool.

Upon coming to the realization that he had the night before he'd leapt from the comfort of his bed, much to the alarm of Yukio, taken off through the chapel and then burst out through the front door. His 'rampage' through the house hadn't been particularly loud and Rin was thankful that his younger brother was smart enough to say nothing more than a "Nii-san!" as a protest to his abrupt move from their room. No one else followed him out but his dear younger brother.

The elder Okumura never got to start the feverish hunt for the threat that may or may not still be outside his home because the second he turned around to face his younger twin he saw it, fluttering in a small breeze created by the rush of movement.

An innocent, white little piece of paper taped to the door. With all the strength of an angry tiger defending its territory Rin ripped it off the painted wood and brought it up to read.

It was an address. And a familiar address at that. A bar that went by the name of King Crab, one that Rin had visited a few times back before he knew he was a demon. He never had any drinks or anything and on no occasion came around at night because it was annoying having to hang around so many drunks. The only times he came around was if he needed information, like if a fight went awry and he wanted to know more about his opponent he'd ask the bartender. Let's not get too into detail on the kind of fights Rin got himself into that required such a move.

And of course he didn't tell Yukio that he knew the place but that was partly because he just didn't think about it. And he was trying hard not to think about it, if Yukio knew about his relation with King Crab then he'd be slaughtered for sure. Rin had also never told the younger Okumura about it before because he didn't want to get him involved in anything, in other words it was just better to do things this way.

In any case, he now stood directly across from the bar that was hidden behind _Pong's Thai Restaurant_ with Yukio, Bon, and Shima. Ten minutes away from the time that had been written on the note beneath the address. Konekomaru, Izumo, and Shiemi were all out placing a few seals on the surrounding buildings in case anything happened inside the bar. It was only supposed to take them a few minutes but to the blue haired exwire it was teetering on the edge of eternity.

_Hurry up, already! _He screamed inwardly, all he wanted to do was get this over with. Why did life have to torture him with minutes? Finally, Yukio's cell went off and a few words later he was nodding his head in satisfaction.

"Good work Izumo, let the others know to keep a look out in case anything happens," the phone was then shoved back into the exorcist's jacket and aquatic turquoise met anxious, cerulean sapphire. Yukio's eyes flashed with suspicion before Rin tore his own eyes away before any guilt could feed its way into his gaze.

"We ready, sensei?" Bon asked, not seeming to notice the exchange between the siblings and garnering Yukio's attention.

"We are," the brown haired exorcist nodded and made his way over to a cross walk with the others following suit. Folding his hands into his pockets Rin was forced to wait yet again for the sign to turn and the process was only made worse by Bon's staring into the back of his head.

"What?" he finally asked after minute or two of feeling those twin orbs of black digging into him from behind. It wasn't a tone of chipped irritation, nor was it one of the impatience he was so obviously consumed by. His voice held more of a knowing exasperation to it than anything else, breathing out within a sigh as the words fell from his lips like a father too tired to chastise his child.

"You're acting suspicious," Bon told him matter-of-factly.

"Bon," Shima's voice held a twinge of nervous laughter to it, bringing a few bothersome drops of confusion into Rin's already reeling mind. The blue-black haired teen raised a befuddled eyebrow just as the light turned and the crowd of people were granted permission to cross the street.

"Hah?" he asked, "what are you talking about?"

"You're too quiet," the other grumbled and, despite Bon not saying them the words still hung silently in the afternoon air.

What are you up to?

Rin was saved from having to reply to that when the little group slipped into the back alleyway and stopped at the end corner of the restaurant. Yukio knew enough about this town to understand the problem in going up to one of the buff bouncers that stood outside the many pubs and bars and just casually asking them if you could go in. He knew that they only let certain people in but unfortunately for him he didn't know what this _specific_ bar's custom was, he didn't think he'd even heard the name of it before. So he paused at the corner and looked to Rin, the trouble maker and admittedly more knowledgeable elder when it came to this. There were two things that Yukio would admit Rin was better at then him.

Cooking and getting around the streets. The latter of which he disapproved of greatly but found he could do little about.

Rin huffed, mentally preparing himself in advance for what was sure to come as he stepped forward with a quiet "wait here" to his now even more apprehensive friends and brother.

Slouching, the teen shoved his hands a little farther in his pockets and made himself appear relaxed as he called out to the blonde bouncer.

"Yo, Bubba!" The man wore a black suit that hung off his broad shoulders and made him somehow seem all the more threatening. His head snapped towards the nearing exwire and the following reaction nearly had Yukio drawing his gun. A large, muscle inflamed arm came rushing towards the blue-haired teen. Rin met the abrupt and unpredicted movement with one of his own, ducking to the side as though he'd known that Bubba would exhibit such a random swing. He didn't stop there though, pushing himself up and pulling his elbow back while surging forwards as though he was going to give the other a gut wrenching punch. He froze though, they both did, as Bubba's other fist stopped at that exact moment right beside Rin's head. A draw. Hard to believe Rin had only been here a few times before. But then again, when someone punches you so hard your forearm snaps on immediate impact you tend to remember it the next time you encounter that same person.

"Ahaha! It really is ya, Rin!" He laughed, pulling away while said teen tossed him a glare.

"Was the punch really necessary?" he grumbled.

But Bubba either didn't care or wasn't listening, ignoring the much smaller Okumura's comment when he straightened and laughed, "since ya hadn' come 'round in over six month's we all thawt fo' sur' ya were dead!"

"Hey listen' to me when-" Rin tried to bark but was abruptly interrupted when the other slapped a hand against his shoulder, bellowing out in laughter, "gud job keepin' alive, yeah?"

His stumble was held back by the other's large hand as it rested where it landed and the other leaned down, back turned to Yukio and the others.

"Seems ya were followed over here, kid," Bubba gestured to Rin's friends with his eyes, "gotten ya self stuck in somein' sticky 'gain?"

"That is my brother and if you touch him I'll have you peeling your testicles off the pavement," Rin snarled in vicious warning. He and Bubba were in no way friends, in fact, Bubba had once tried to kill Rin. And no matter how the other acted Rin would likely never be able to trust him knowing that the man had once been a terrorist. He'd blown up a bus of kid's in his work. "Is Lerry in?" he asked a moment later, letting his threat sink in a few seconds first.

"Yeh, he's in," the blonde nodded, moving away from Rin's shoulder.

"I'll be talking with him a bit then," Rin was not asking to be let in, shaking the other's hand from his shoulder and entering the building without a backwards glance.

The dim room was lit only by the lights above the dance floor (on both floor levels) and the ones directly behind the various bottles behind the bar, illuminating their contents and giving the room numerous different shades of light to it. A quick survey of the room had proved to Rin its vacancy, something not unusual for King Crab at this time of day. Usually no one was allowed in until later but a select few, like that illegal menace Jennifer Wormwod. He held back a sigh of relief, if that red-headed Jenny was here he'd never get as far as three steps into the joint. Rin had absolutely no interest in her, an aesthetically pleasing, heavily tattooed woman who had traveled here from Europe- but she'd certainly taken a taste to him. He was just as juicy to her as the cigarettes she sucked on and the few times that he stopped by he'd always end up having to go on a chase with her tailgating him until he lost her. It had taken him a full three hours once just to shake her off. That was probably a part of the reason he'd gotten so good at running people through the dark alleyways.

Anyway, the guy he was looking for was no longer in the bar, probably hadn't been for some time.

He shook his head and brought his attention to the bar backed up against the wall on the far side of the room from the dance floor. Rubbing a rag over the counter top was a man with light brown hair and caramel eyes wearing exactly what you'd expect a bartender to wear.

"Hey Lerry," Rin called out to him as he picked his way around a black leather couch and a few chairs.

"Oh, speak of the devil," the grin that split the 34 year old's face was similar to the kind that Mephisto sometimes exhibited. A Cheshire grin.

Rin stood next to the bar, making no move to sit as he leaned forwards, "I'm not going to waste time asking you why Bubba's all groomed up and just skip right ahead to ask; have any new guys dropped by today?"

"Mmm, now that I think about it some guy stayed here a little late last night and gave me this," Lerry held up an envelope between his index and middle finger, mirth twinkling in his eyes. He knew better than to try and get himself involved in his customers problems but he'd help if he was paid and never asked questions. He was probably pretty used to this kinda stuff by now. "I couldn't get a good look at his face but he certainly seemed like the shady kind, telling me to give this to you and all."

Rin's name was scrawled over the back of the envelope in bright red ink and for some off reason the sight of it made his stomach churn.

"How much am I going to have to pay you for this?" he asked contemptuously.

"Seeing how 'often' you come around and how there's a decent enough possibility that you won't be comin' back?" he made a humming noise as he thought then held up one finger, "100 yen."

Rin nearly tripped over his own unmoving feet at that, "are you kidding me, that's it? That's all you want?" _Isn't that exactly why he should be having me pay extra?_ He sputtered that last part inwardly. The last time he'd needed information on the Bunny Man's bridge it'd cost him 4800 yen (1).

Come to think of it, that was the first time he'd managed to keep a job for so long too.

"Sure is," the other grinned, looking up at the blue haired individual with a bemused expression on his face. Rin huffed, scowling at him as he plucked the letter out of the bar tender's nimble fingers. Pulling the money from his wallet- yeah he had one of those- he passed the money across the table and turned to leave.

"Oh and Rin," Lerry began, calling out behind him, "two more things." Rin turned to glare at him, "your guy's got a scar runnin' along his right knuckles," he held up a fist and drew a rugged line over his own with his fingers, "and Jenny's here."

Rin's pale face went white and he cursed as the woman, now smiling from ear to ear, appeared at the end of the corkscrewing stairs across the room just as those last words left the brown haired bar tender's lips.

"_Lerry, you're a dick!"_

_Extra:_

"Who was that guy?" Shima asked later that night as he mopped the kitchen floor, Konekomaru and Bon both standing at the sink and washing the dishes while Yukio read over the letter again. Surprisingly enough, it had been relatively easy for Rin to get passed Jenny this time, saving him the long tiresome chase that normally ensued afterwards. He assumed it had something to do with having so many other people with him this time. Whatever the case he was just satisfied with making a clean get away.

When they'd arrived back at the Church Rin had had to explain to them what happened in the bar, letting the ever insistent Shima know that he wanted nothing to do with Jenny. He'd then proceeded to show them the letter and they'd read it as a group.

Too bad there wasn't too much to read, though.

_Okumura-_

_ You want to protect those close to you, right? I know I'm just a stranger and this is probably pretty suspicious but I would like to help. Please come to the Yoyogi Hachiman Shrine at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon and meet me._

_Thank you._

They all had similar feelings towards this letter, even Rin had to say that something was wrong with it. But he meant that in way unlike the others did, of course he was suspicious too but there was just something almost_ unnatural _about it that he couldn't put his finger on.

In sight of the question that Shima was asking, Rin could only go by the assumption that the pink haired teen was referring to Bubba's behavior.

"Bubba?" he asked anyway, not entirely sure how he was going to describe this guy to them in a way that didn't have Yukio at his throat.

"Yeah, the bouncer, right?" Shima nodded and Rin felt his brother's eyes fall on him. The air felt a little heavy suddenly. His mind was unfocused, blurred by an unexplainable exhaustion and an uncomfortable butterfly bouncing against the walls of his stomach. It felt a little hot in the kitchen.

"Oi, blueberry," Bon's voice broke through the empty silence when Rin failed to respond and the other blinked, gaze focusing on the most-likely older teen's scowl as he stood turned away from the task he'd been given. Beside him, Konekomaru looked concerned.

"Are you feeling alright Okumura-san? You've been acting pretty strange lately," the bald monk commented.

Rin dispelled his swollen thoughts with a shake of the head and smiled reassuringly, "I'm perfectly fine. I probably just ate something bad, since you never know what's expired in this church and what's not," he joked.

"Then what is it?" Bon grunted crossing his arms over his chest as Konekomaru reached for a towel to wipe his hands with.

"What's what?" Rin asked, befuddled.

Shima laughed, "That guy, Bubba. What was with him earlier? Attacking out of the blue like that."

Rin let loose a massive yawn and replied; "dunno, maybe he got his panties in a bunch." A bubble of laughter was presented from the pink haired exwire at that, but Yukio seemed unimpressed with his casual antics.

"Okumura-kun," oh no, not that tone, "how familiar are you with these people?"

And there it is; the dreaded question. Rin had been hoping to avoid it by keeping himself busy but he realized too late that sitting at the table, slumped in his chair and on the verge of passing out fell far from the demanding activities list.

A sigh wheezed out of his mouth, worming out of its cage blocked by teeth as Rin lay his chin on the table.

"I've only been there twice, spotty-four-eyes, chill," he grumbled, once again earning various looks of concern. _Since when did my friends become such worry-warts? _He thought, closing his eyes and sighing again.

"Nii-san?" Rin should have been surprised at the so informal way his brother called him but he just couldn't work up the energy. What was _wrong _with him? Why did he have bright, orange-red retina stains blotching through the darkness of his closed off vision?

"'m tired," he mumbled and heard the screech of wood rubbing across tile as his younger brother got up from his chair. His muscles were relaxing, body falling into a state of rest before he could stop it. Yukio's hand touched his face but Rin was too close to sleep to bother with making any protests against the coolness of his palm. All he could see in this muted silence was that odd, uncomfortable, _unnatural_ ink the suspicious person had written in.

* * *

><p><strong>In case it isn't clear, Lerry, Bubba, and Jennifer are not from Japan, hense the non-japanese names. <strong>

…**So Rin, Jenny or Emily? Which do you hate more? XD (before the extra that I put in last minute) This is the part where he leaps from the bar, shoots right around Bubba as the large man glares warningly at Yukio and the others, and takes off passed them with a frantic, "time to go!" Jenny hot on his tail.**

**Rin also didn't seem to get the way that Lerry said "…and you probably won't come back…"**

**Good job, Rin, good job. ****I also haven't been putting much of Izumo or Shiemi into this due to the fact that in most of these situations Shiemi just **_**doesn't **_**fit. She's not really the kind of person Yukio and Rin would feel comfortable with leaving on the streets for a patrol or anything and, well, right now she's just boring to me. I don't want to write her just yet because I haven't found an interesting play for her, maybe later but right now she's just backstage setting up props. As for Izumo…I COULD have her cleaning windows but it's likely she'd just say something offensive with a concerned undertone. That or she'd just watch things play out with a calculating gaze like normal. BAAAAAAAAAAH, they come in later ificanfindaspotfortheeem. **

**(1) Bunny Man bridge was based offa dis: www . youtube watch ? v=aA6xFnl1pV8 (don't forget about the spaces) For the sake of the story we'll just say that it's nearby and in Japan. I'm too lazy to actually look up residential stuff. And 4800 *yen* is about (I think) $43.20 in U.S. currency. I'm not a mathematic so I probably messed it up but waaaaaaaaaat the hell.**

**Edit: *laughing ass off* bahahaha, so i said EURO at first and apparently 4800 euro is equivalent to $6000. Thank you Rosebud in Amber for correcting me XD If anyone sees something wrong with the yen idea too, leme know and i'll change it XD wrong currency, fuck my research. **


	25. Igor's Opera

…**.Ya know, I work my ass off for you guys *tired pout* I've stayed up all night to get this done for you guys! I should at least get a bit of fanart as a thank you duncha think? At least ONE of you has gotta' like drawin' yeah? (oh no, your bountiful reviews have spoiled me and now I'm asking for more of you, DX That or I'm just tired as hell right now. Don't know why though, it's only 12:45 AM. Do what you want, don't listen to my grumpy ass XD) IIIIam a selfish shellfish**

**Chapter Rating: M **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Igor's Opera:

It probably wasn't very healthy to wake up screaming in pain. The cool, unfamiliar flooring beneath him completely ignored in the fiery, indescribable agony coursing through his back and hands. There was a series of distant shouts, muddled in his confusion and pain and Rin grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut and snarling painfully.

"Ah, so that woke you up did it?" an unfamiliar voice commented casually. Forcing his eyes open to try and see where he was and, more importantly, where the pain was coming from brought Rin to face a large metal spindle protruding out of his stacked hands. His eyes widened, someone was speaking but he ignored them and whirled his head around so fast he might as well have given himself whiplash. His eye's widened even more at the sight of the Kurikara towering out of his back and pinning him to the floor, exacerbating his agony in the process. Warmth was oozing out beneath him and each breath he took was blindingly painful. If the Kurikara had been any farther off in any direction Rin would probably not be breathing at all. Avoiding his lungs and heart by a hair- if he wasn't a demon he would be dead in no less than ten minutes due to loss of blood. In effort to distract himself from the shock he focused on strange scent. He could only describe it as being _off _and he looked down to see a part of what was probably a complex pentagram of sorts.

He almost threw up a second later when he found that it was painted with the same ink that the letter had been written in. Pressing his sweltering forehead into the cool floor he let out a miserable groan.

Rocking footsteps neared him but he didn't have the energy to look up and had no desire to vomit, already laying in his own blood as it was.

"Hmm, was it too much to both return your powers _and_ skewer you to a devil's trap, I wonder?" the voice from earlier asked, increasing in volume as whoever the speaker was bent down. Rin was somehow able to take notice of the way his voice echoed throughout the room before his innards leapt and he was grinding his teeth together. It felt as though he was getting run over by a fucking train on the inside. No, it felt more like two trains traveling in opposite directions and tearing his organs to shreds as they passed. Sweat began to make its way down his face but he refused to beaten down, even despite the situation and turned his head to look up at his captor.

The man had long blond hair that glowed under the bright stage lights tied up into a pony-tail and dripping off his shoulder, running over his black trench/lab coat. Four silver horns slipped through hooks lined the middle of the coat, keeping it closed with the assistance of a thick belt that wrapped around his waist. Polished black shoes clicked on the stage and a silver cross dangled from his neck. Amber eyes bore into Rin's own sapphire ones from behind the safety of rectangular-shaped glasses.

"Oh my," the man frowned, bringing a hand up to roughly grab Rin's chin and pull his head up a little more so he could peer curiously into his eyes, "seems that I may have used a bit too much Leviathan's blood on you." (A.N: In other words, he's drugged Rin)

Rin tried to break free from the grip but he found himself too weak, incapable of doing little more that scowl at the man and growl, "who the fuck are you?"

"Upper class demon biologist from the BDRI, Igor Williams," the man suddenly released Rin spinning up to his full height and bowing elegantly. But then he straightened and scowled, "or, that's what I used to be. Now I am simply Igor Williams since the department thought my methods too _unethical_," he scoffed.

"What the hell have you done to me," Rin grunted trying to get a look of his surroundings without moving too much. Several feet away a flowing red curtain hung and, even if it was dark off-stage Rin's eyes could still make out plush, velvet red seats framed by intricate gold painted designs- similar to the ones on the walls.

"Hmm, on the inside or the outside?" Igor asked, "on the outside I've pushed your own sword through your shoulder blades and speared a spindle into your hands to keep you down." The man grabbed a wooden chair from a ways behind the blue haired teen and then sat down directly in front of Rin looking him over thoughtfully, "on the inside of you though, I've returned you to your normal demon state. Yep, all those organs are back in action, though your reaction when I pulled the sword out was a little," he bit his lip, "unexpected."

Rin's eyes grew a little wide at that, though he tried to hide it.

With a finger on his chin and his eyes turned to the lights above as though the answer was written there in the rafters he continued, "I'm sure it didn't help that you were already being affected by my Leviathan's blood too. I have to give your brother some credit though, he kept himself calm and used some herbs from the blond haired girl to help clear your airways. Anyone else would have been horrified if they woke up in the middle of the night to find their kin puking up buckets of blood and engulfed in flames." The man slapped a hand against his forehead, "oh how silly of me, you thought I was going to say you went berserk? Oh no, no, I merely meant to insinuate that I hadn't expected you to cough up so much blood. I overestimated your durability as a demon I suppose, that or I underestimated the abilities of my own demon toxin; Leviathan's blood."

Like two magnets, Rin's eyebrows came together and tilted upwards just slightly in a show of tired annoyance, a frown making an appearance on his face as he glowered at his babbling captor.

"Anyway it's too bad your brother and friends were so focused on you that they were unable to defend against my angel." Rin's head surged upwards, blood falling from his shirt and pain serving as an unwelcome reminder to his restraints. "Those priests didn't put up as much a fight as I'd initially thought they would, though I suppose that has something to do with the sleeping drugs I slipped them at dinner." Realization was dawning on Rin finally.

"You're," he began.

"Hmm?" Igor asked, friendly deception in the smile gracing his features as he turned his amber gaze back onto Rin, "Oh, that's right. I'm the one who paid that disgusting psycho to chase you out of your own home. I'm the one that called you and put that note outside your door. I'm the one who paid Lerry to give you my letter. I'm the one who _wrote_ the letter with a combined L.B. and water solution type ink that would make you ill when you read it. I'm the one that broke into your home not even 5 hours ago, subdued your friends, and plucked you from your bed. And I'm the one who poisoned you and brought you to this opera house."

Rin's sapphire eyes fell under the shadow of a tidal wave of cold hatred, "What the hell have you done to my family?" he snarled.

Igor just smiled pleasantly at him, "in time you will know. More importantly," he sang, ignoring Rin's "_you bastard_" as a long, wiry grin split his face, "you don't actually know what Leviathan's blood is yet, do you? And here I've gone on and on about it for so long to you."

Rin politely responded with a feral growl. His captor simply raised an eye brow and turned, whistling out into the darkness as though calling a dog. The soft clacking of claws on oak drifted through the shadows behind Rin. He tried to turn his head around to see what it was but found himself unable to move with Igor's doctor-soft palm pressed against the back of his neck.

The scent of something not meant to exist, of something sordid and decaying drifted lazily through the air and Rin scrunched up his nose in disgust. A way too human looking skull dipped down in front him, the black expanses that supposedly made up its eyes somehow seeming curious.

"Come on, you're in the way," Igor shooed the creature away with a wave of his hand and without pause it did as it was told, obediently moving into a less obscure part of the stage.

With his hand still on Rin's neck, the man leaned down with a small bottle in his hand filled with bright red-orange liquid sloshing around inside. Every instinct inside Rin rebelled against being so near to such a large quantity of the stuff and it was made obvious in the nervous flickering of his tail.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you what would happen if I spilled this here, seeing as how just the written words from earlier was enough to give you a fever. But just in case I'll go ahead and tell you anyway; this little concoction here is something I myself have mixed together. I'd tell you what was in it but then it wouldn't be a secret recipe anymore, now would it? Anyway, just a few drops of this is enough to kill a lesser demon in 0.24 seconds. To one of your caliber it would probably require me to force you to drink this entire bottle," Igor explained merrily.

"So what, you gunna try and kill me then?" Rin asked.

"Kill you? Oh no, absolutely not!" Igor pulled away and waved his hands around in a slicing 'no' gesture that clearly displayed his objections to the idea, "you are no good to me dead!" All humor and awkward clownishness from the man abruptly faded, amber twinkling with deadly mischief as the scientist brought himself to eye level with Rin, "Oh no, you will become my perfect angel."

"Angel?" Rin repeated, confused. Man, he was getting really sleepy all of a sudden.

With an unforeseen burst of energy the man bounced back up to his full height and spun around the stage, his rapid movements and quick changes of personality becoming increasingly annoying to the young exwire. _Damnit, stop being so inconsistent, you stupid ballerina Pierrot_ he thought with a disheveled, tired expression as he watched the other conduct an invisible orchestra.

"This opera house sure is a lovely place, don't you think?" The blonde commented as the demon from before made its way out of the darkness again and took its place beside the strange individual. "Isn't it beautiful?" Igor remarked giving no signs if whether he was talking about the opera house or the demon. No matter how Rin tried he could not see the other's eyes due to the reflection of light glinting off his glasses. With a grip similar to that of a loving parent's the man grabbed a hold of the thing's jaw and stroked its head. There was no noticeable response from the creature as it simply stood there accepting the loving treatment as its master purred, "my little angel."

Rin's eyes could not have gotten any larger and his thoughts of sleep briskly chased themselves away. "You," he swallowed, "want to turn me into that _thing_?"

If the world's most technical camera were to be filming the scene playing out on the stage of the large opera house it would not have caught the following action. Perhaps it's sophisticated and innovative technology would capture a blur, a pixilated distortion that would sweep across the screen for but a fraction of a second before it was gone. This camera might have a hard time picking it up but it would certainly do a lot better than the regular human eye. Fortunately for Rin he didn't have human eyes. _Un_fortunately for Rin, he couldn't _move._

It was then Rin realized his flames could not be used, even with the Kurikara unsheathed. Should he have been given more time perhaps he would have felt foolish for not noticing it sooner. But alas, a surgical knife brought everything to a halt as it cut through his shoulder and the blade, coated in a thick layer of holy water sent stinging and spitting agony through the apprehended half-demon's body.

"Aarrrgghh!" Rin shouted in surprise and pain, more blood gushing out of the broken tissue and flowing down to join the ever growing puddle beneath him.

"Don't you ever speak about my creations like that!" dark rage shadowed Igor's face now as though he hadn't been smiling and petting his 'angel' only a few moments prior. His blue haired captive growled back rebelliously, tail smashing against the ground in a challenging way. The scientist brought his attention to his watch and was suddenly grinning from ear to ear once more. He whistled again, gathering up the attention of his pet and giving an excited order "go get my tools." The crazed lunatic was suddenly sitting in the chair before Rin once again, his hands and legs folded neatly as he smiled down at the untamed half-demon.

"So Rin-kun, is it nice? Having friends for the first time in your life?" It was pure, undeniable instinct that had the teen in question forcing himself up, ears pulled back and teeth bared in a threatening gesture.

"Don't you dare even _think _about touching them-" he began but Igor would allow him to get no further.

"It's so unfortunate that you don't trust them at all, though, isn't it?" the blonde said, laces of pity drifting through his tone, "after all that's happened to you, how could you be expected to trust them at all? Though it's a delicate trust it's still there, and I'm fascinated that such a thing can exist in you! You're the person who's fought all his life for the safety of others and yet no one has cared to offer you so much as a thank you in return."

Rin's eyes stared up at him, more stunned that he knew all this rather than the fact that it was pretty much all accurate.

Igor suddenly let out a loud chuckle, "in fact, rather than be thanked your family has reprimanded and looked at you with disappointment. How many lives have you saved, Okumura?" he asked, leaning down to look at him with crazed glee, "'cause I've honestly lost count. Not even the great assassin Jennifer can keep up with you all the time!" He laughed at the wide expression of disbelief on the younger's face, "you are the very essence of a never ending tragedy. But then," Rin was unnerved by the way the man's voice turned from such loud exuberance to subdued realization, "if you're the tragedy then your brother may be the comedy. Do you know what he thinks of you?"

"Well he _used _to think I was a demon worth exorcising," Rin spat, fully aware that his brother meant none of this at the time and never would.

As though exasperated Igor threw his hands up in the air, "_exactly_!"

Before he could continue, though, his blue haired prisoner found the space to interrupt," note the 'used to' in that sentence, ya nut."

He expected the amber eyed psycho to cut into him again but to his surprise all he got in return was a much too large grin.

"Ah, but you see, he still feels that way!" The other swung his arms around in a wide, sweeping motion, turning to face an invisible crowd as he continued, "his view of you, his dear older brother has not changed at all since that time in the exorcists cram classroom," he was practically singing now, "my demon has seen it! Seen through his thoughts and discovered that your brother," he turned to face Rin, "hates and blames you for your adoptive father's death!"

It was probably safe to say that Rin was not amused. But he wasn't angry, nor was he sad, he wasn't anything as he let his chin rest over his arms, tired again, "and?" He'd thought about this kind of thing before, mulling it over as he lay on the roof of the dorms that he shared with his younger brother enough to be able to address it calmly.

Igor was actually surprised by that, he'd expected outrage or at least disbelief but he got neither. "Do you believe it to be true too?" he asked, voice morose.

Rin turned his glare upon the other and didn't reply he wouldn't give the man the pleasure of knowing his thoughts.

"It's my fault that he died, I should have tried harder to save him," an unfamiliar sand papery growl spoke in Rin's place, his expression opening into alarm, "what good am I if I can save a few stupid kids on the street but not my own father?" horrified, the eldest Okumura turned his head to face the expressionless creature spewing out all his self-loathing and doubt for it's master to hear. "I deserve what I get in return for letting him die like that, for saying those things to him. He let me live and in the end I was the one who killed him. I'm a monster through and through now."

Igor's laughter burst throughout the large expanse of the room loudly, bouncing out of the theater and into the corridors, flowing over the corpse of a security guard who'd been keeping watch for the night. It spread through Rin's head, ringing between his ears and he was forced to watch and wait for the other to calm himself.

The ill-minded demonologist was still chuckling when he stepped forward and grabbed some kid of black case from the malformed demon, his eyes just as twisted as the creation he'd come to name an 'angel.' "Hahaha, such truth there is to that- you are a monster," he grinned and put a hand to Rin's cheek, "but you are a beautiful monster," he said with such love that his blue haired captive felt a wave of disgust writhe within him. Now rather irritated and maybe even a little bit overwhelmed he chose to respond with a sly, bitter grin.

"You wanna know what's really funny about this?" he asked, shaking himself away from the other's hand and almost spitting in his face before he managed to restrain himself from doing so.

"What would that be?" the other asked kindly.

"The fact that you're stupid enough to think any of this is working,"

The innocence that passed over the bright amber eyes before him made him sick, "whatever do you mean by that?"

Rin's eyes were half-lidded with boredom, "I've been interrogated before, ya freak, I know what you're trying to do. So know this; whatever happens I'll never allow myself to give up on living. Maybe I couldn't save my dad but at the very least I can clear his name. Maybe Yukio does hate me but no matter what he does or what he says he will always be my younger brother," he snarled, "I'm not selfish enough to give in to you."

A frown puckered the blonde haired doctor's lips and he stood up, eyes hidden by the lights reflecting from his eyes. "Hmmm," he moaned and Rin suddenly felt pain tearing through his back again, the sound of his own flesh tearing filling his ears, "that's a shame, I wanted to make this procedure less painful for you. It's a difficult process on both the physical body and the mind so I was hoping that if I could get you to understand then you'd be in less pain," his captor spoke as though he wasn't twisting the Kurikara through his captive's shoulders.

The pain driving into his back suddenly grew still as Igor released his grip on the blade and turned towards the ominous black suitcase. The sound of the buckles unlatching echoed with far more intensity than any other sound Rin had heard that night and he suddenly felt very apprehensive, every instinct within him fighting against the toxin was blocking them. Even though the blonde scientist was shifting through his tools less than a foot away from his side, the teen could not see what was in the 'travel-bag'. He shook his head and growled when a blindfold was suddenly wrapped over his eyes, grunting when his head was forced down and the fabric was tied tightly in place. The last image he was left with was that of a scarred knuckle.

"It'll be easier if you don't struggle, wouldn't want to cut anything unintended, right?" Igor's voice was so sugar coated, as though he was calming a child from a nightmare and the love in his tone was so sickening it made his captive's pulse beat a little faster in nervousness. Despite being told not to struggle Rin did anyway, worming his body around as best he could.

He could sense the man nearing his side and he lashed out with his tail, a whooshing sound followed by the scrabble of claws fighting for purchase on the oak wood floor boards interrupting his attempt at self-defense. Splinters of pain rocketed down his tail seconds later and he screamed in agony as the creature gripped the thrashing appendage in its jaws. Fuck, it's teeth were too sharp.

"Good, now just restrain his legs too," Igor's voice commanded and Rin suddenly felt the demon wrap its claws around his legs, cutting through his jeans and slicing skin. "Just breathe, Rin, you'll be fine," the amber eyed scientist assured and once again reached for him. Even through the pain in his legs and back he continued to squirm weakly as the other man wrapped his slender fingers around the hem of Rin's shirt and lifted it. Cold wind seemed to blow over the exposed skin as the bespectacled blonde's soft hand drew an invisible line over the lower right corner of his back. He had to suppress a shiver as the hand pulled away and a few clinks could be heard from behind him; the pop of a cork being removed from a bottle followed by the sound of metal touching glass.

"So okay, let's get back to that trust thing with your friends then, if you're so unwilling to talk about your family," Igor muttered, sounding distracted and moving back over to Rin with a scalpel in hand. A soft sound, something similar to the noise of a small gasp or a curse, wafted into his ears from off-stage.

It was soon forgotten as a sharpened blade drew itself across his back, digging in deep and abruptly. Rin threw back his head and let out a howl of pain, cursing and spitting as the scalpel sliced through his flesh. It cut along the line Igor had traced with his finger slowly, as though he enjoyed watching the teen's pale skin split apart and reveal the bloody flesh and muscle beneath. When the incision was about 4 and a half inches in length he turned away and put the scalpel in a small, glass vile of something. Fiddling around in his bag while Rin bled and thrashed, he removed another item. Igor used this tool to hold his skin apart then picked up his scalpel and continued to cut with a blade that had just been sanitized in Leviathan's blood. Ill weakness befell Rin shortly after and he found that he could do nothing more than scream within a murky haze stuffed with death's blessing.

"You've been betrayed by people before, haven't you? A number of times you've saved someone and they've retaliated against you in return," Igor said calmly, "Or you've had to rely on them to keep something hushed and they go and tell the first person who asks where you live. Just like Lerry did, though, I was rather surprised to find that he had already betrayed you once before. The last time very nearly got you killed just on the Bunny Man's Bridge, not too far from here. If you'd ask me, I'd think it to be rather poetic; dying on a bridge haunted by a lunatic that cuts up his victims like rabbits. It's not nearly as poetic as this though, conducting experiments and creating my newest angel on the stage of such a beautiful opera house. Good thing I placed illusion seals around it, else someone would have heard by now," the man was more ADD than a friggn Chihuahua.

"Guaah!" Rin hollered, blood flowing from his side.

"It's a shame that painkillers don't work with this process," Igor commented sarcastically, actually enjoying the blood curdling shrieks of his captive. "Mmm, maybe I should order you to attack your friends later? They deserve it after all; they betrayed your trust too. Feeding you lies of companionship and then running with their tails between their legs when they found out who you really were. Such cowards couldn't appreciate the beauty of your power even if it killed them. So that's what we'll do later, kill em~" Suddenly, Rin grew silent, biting his tongue hard and clenching his teeth he managed to fight his head over to the side so he could face the other. He couldn't see past the blindfold at all, but Igor could. The fiery blue glow of his cerulean eyes cutting through the blindfold and glaring hatefully at him in a way so terrifying that it actually had the bespectacled man freezing in momentary terror.

"_Stupri ardent_," he snarled viciously at the exact moment a gun could be heard firing. Rin's world had been narrowed down to three things at that point; pain, sickness, and instinct. The surprise on Igor's face as he fell forwards, shot in the back with a tranquilizer was no longer his concern, neither was the lift of pressure on his legs. In those moments all that mattered was that the pressure on his tail, his only defense, lifted just enough. Just enough to retaliate with the force of a mini-nuclear explosion.

Of all people in the room only he could follow his tail as it slipped out of the creature's jaws, rearing back to come crashing down into its head. He could feel its skull shattering, bowing inwards under the massive force of his blue black appendage as it fell through the reinforced bone and tough skin. Pieces of its head rained down on his exposed back and with a burst of uncontrolled flame Rin burned away the very ash that had filled the air upon the first initial blow. His tail was physically his weakest point as a demon, but it was also his most guarded feature. Up until now he'd managed to keep his instincts at bay whenever the appendage was abused or grabbed or threatened in some way. It was very possible that after this he would no longer be able to control such.

With both threats gone he allowed himself to relax, ignoring the fact that he was now laying within a pool of his own crimson blood as he rested his head over his arms. The sickly splash of footsteps running through his blood grabbed his muffled attention and a hand grabbed the Kurikara. He was too tired to fight back anymore, too dizzy and exhausted to care that the sword was being ripped from his body. He was too tired to acknowledge the small hands that gently removed the spindle from his own. Completely unable to react before a presence appeared at his side in the spot previously held by Igor Williams. Feeling threatened again he lashed out with his tail unable to recognize the teen at his side.

"Oi!"

"Rin!"

"Nii-san," he froze. Tail stopping mere inches away from the bespectacled's nose and leaving a tense silence to dominate the stage. Feeling no stronger than liquid rubber, Rin dropped his tail to the blood he lay in a few moments later when, finally recognizing his younger brother.

It was dark even as the blindfold on his face was taken away, he felt like cotton had been stuffed in his ears and despite the fact that he could not see anything he was plagued by the sensation of the world around him spinning.

Time was lost to him. All senses muffled by a thick, wet quilt as his dreams began to murmur.

* * *

><p><strong>If you're still kinda confused on what the fuck is going on than I am laughing at you. Because you're in the same boat as Rin and as the writer I know EXACTLY what's going on. <strong>

**Ooookay, so Stupri ardent = fucking burn in latin :D**

**Also, Igor is annoying similar to Mephy, I just realized it. I wanted to go for the you-are-clearly-insane-and-suffering-from-severe-m ood-swings-crazy-scientist kinda guy. How'd that go?**

**NORMALLY THIS SHIT IS THREE FUCKIN PAGES! *rips hair out* NOMOREOFTHIS!**

**But no srsly, I need to cut my chappies shorter. I know you guys like em long but I sure as hell don't XD it takes WAY too long to have explain everything and its too stressful on me. **


	26. Get a Grip

** Thank you all so, so, so much for reviewing as you have. You have no idea how much that means to me. Well, ok, maybe you do. But all the more reason to thank you for all you've said :) **

**Poor Rin, he's so horribly maimed.**

"**Blah" = Kuro speaking**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Get a Grip:

He was groggy, body feeling detached from his head as he lay with eyes closed on his stomach in a familiar smelling bed.

But Rin was unconcerned by the sheets he was wrapped in, uncaring to the familiar odor given off by the medicine within the infirmary in the abandoned boys dormitory. Had he bothered to survey his surroundings maybe he would have noticed that he was no longer within his homey church but had at some point returned to the dorms he shared with Yukio, as it was better equipped to fit his medical needs. Maybe he would have wondered why he was in their dorms and not a hospital (that probably wouldn't take him because he was not only a demon but Satan's son. Not that he'd mind seeing as how he hated hospitals). He perhaps would not have let the presence of three faithfully waiting companions slip his notice. Maybe he would've shuffled through the various scents that filled the room and discovered the aftertaste of five very familiar others.

But no, the very first thing to garner his undaunted attention was a single thought.

_Fuck, this again?_ Needless to say he was not pleased to find himself waking from almost dying _again._ Seriously, maybe he hadn't been in this exact room with these exact wounds the last time and maybe things had been far worse last time, but the fact still remained.

He was lying in a bed waking up to find people murmuring quietly above him and someone playing with his tail. Déjà vu, anyone?

Situations were different this time, it was uncomfortable to have someone touch his tail. And in a surge of momentary instinct, he flicked it away. _Leave my tail alone, just for once, would you? _Was he praying or simply thinking? He had no idea anymore.

"Ah," a familiar voice squeaked beside him and Kuro raised his head, Rin suddenly realizing that the small feline-demon was curled into the crook his uninjured neck. There was the whisper of clothing and the creak of a chair as someone shifted.

"He really is a moron," another voice murmured, irritation dripping off the words, "keeping so much to himself all this time like that. At the very least he could have told his brother that he was saving lives and not being some idiot."

There was silent agreement in the air that melted away into crisp discomfort, "does Rin really not trust us at all? Do you think that maybe Igor was telling the truth?" he found himself recognizing Shiemi's uncertain voice and, feeling guilty, his tail twitched. It suddenly froze however after a few moments of mulling over the girl's words.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, she had _been_ there? Who else-no, to hell with that! Even if Shiemi hadn't been the only one watching they'd all surely know by now. A light tremor passed through the half-demon's tail at that, keeping it from bouncing around in frantic irritation or curling with worry. Rin left it at being an instinctive move to prevent further harm from befalling the beaten appendage.

In an attempt to help her friend relax and assuming that it was simply a dream causing the tail to move as such, Shiemi reached forwards and brushed a hand over the appendage. Not picking it up due to what her previous attempt gave her. Kuro pressed himself closer into Rin's neck, nuzzling his companion's jaw with a cold wet nose in a gesture of comfort.

On his other side Bon hesitated, staring down at Rin with a somehow both accusing and knowing glare, "I think he's a fucking moron that doesn't know _how_ to. He is a stupid blueberry, after all."

Rin could feel Shiemi jump a little in surprise at that, the skip in her touch more than enough of a sign. At first he was thinking that maybe she had been hurt further by what Ryuji said as the silence and slight tremble to her touch indicated. He tried to peel his eyes open just a thread but found his vision too blurry to properly open them and had to let them fall closed just as the girl straightened and a smile flew across her face.

"So we'll just have to teach him," she said happily, content to just run her fingers through the deft tangles in the tuff at the end of Rin's tail. He smiled and with his eyes still closed decided to announce his consciousness.

"Great, when do I start my lessons," he asked, unable to stop himself from popping open an eye despite his poor vision. He couldn't just leave them to wallow in their concerns for him, now could he?

"Rin!" Shiemi squeaked in surprise. "How are you feeling?" He screwed his eyebrows together in thought, attempting to blink away the fog in his eyes as he opened his mouth.

"If you lie I'm going to give your brother something else to stitch up," Bon warned him, face completely straight.

_Holy crap he's serious!_ "Sore, sore, sore!" Rin sputtered quickly before he even realized that what he was saying wasn't entirely assuring. _Shoot._

"Where does it hurt?" Shiemi asked, standing, "Do you want me to go get Yukio?"

"Ah, no it's okay, it really doesn't hurt too much," he attempted to sooth. Kuro peered at him in an unconvinced manner and then stood to turn and place his paws on Rin's shoulder so he could get a look at his tail. The blue haired exwire made a face at his familiar and sent him an almost offended, _'oi'_ through their telepathic link. Satisfied about the stillness of Rin's tail and only very slight curling of the tip, Kuro returned to his place at the other's neck.

"**Based off what happened last time, I just wanted to check," **the sith assured him.

Rin cast him an affronted glare and said, "what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Probably that you're a stupid, blue monkey," Bon grumbled under his breath, not seeming to want Rin to hear. Unfortunately for him Rin was no longer as human as he had been a few days previous and as a result heard every syllable.

"Shut up Bonbon," he sighed, flopping his head back onto the pillow and feeling very over-taxed suddenly. He had a feeling that maybe in those few seconds he actually did manage to fall asleep, but he couldn't be sure because even though to him those few seconds felt like hours his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"**Come on Rin, you've been asleep for four days, wake up,"** Kuro reached forwards and grabbed Rin's nose in his jaws carefully giving it an insistent tug. Twitching, the blue haired exwire lifted his head and abruptly sneezed, scaring Shiemi so bad she nearly fell out of her chair. Waking up was a task easier said than done for Rin as he lay with his head lifted, blinking and fighting through the murky layer that was usually custom to sleeping long hours with a bad illness and wondering where it had come from. At the current moment he was seeing stars and his vision was swimming, leaving him to try and blink it out in the silence that followed the abruption. Weird, one moment he'd been awake, and the next moment he was half asleep. Perhaps it was an effect of the Leviathan's blood?

"Oi, ya stupid blue monkey," Bon said from his other side, "what the hell?"

Rin was about to retaliate when his response was broken by a wide yawn, providing a perfect view of his razor sharp canines for his two companions to see. "Ugh," he groaned, slumping his head back down onto the pillow and almost wincing as it pulled the still healing cut in his neck.

"I'm too tired to argue with you," he said, feeling an expression of concern in Shiemi's gaze. She'd probably noticed his tail twitch in displeasure, a momentary attempt at a curl that was abandoned the moment his pain vanished.

"You've been asleep for four days straight!" Bon protested loudly, a shrillness to his scream that made Rin smirk.

"Oh~" he began teasingly, "you worried, princess?" He was not at all prepared for the brown haired individual to slap his palm against the sheets, mindful of avoiding Rin's still injured legs.

"Of course I fucking am!" Rin raised his head and blinked at him, confused over his sudden outburst. Shiemi shifted, uncomfortable with the way things were going and knowing, medically speaking, more of the strain Rin was under. But at the same time, she was in the same position as Bon; needing to know more about the secretive individual beneath her.

"Rin," she began, her voice filling the unoccupied silence, "about what Igor said back then," she trailed off and the teen physically flinched, a far off look invading his cerulean eyes.

"Uh," his voice was a little embarrassed and held an awkward ring to it as he looked up at her with a small smile, "how much of that did you hear?"

Scoffing angrily, Bon leaned back and answered in Shiemi's place, "we were there for pretty much the whole thing. That freak had all of us in Nepokretna Solica demons on the second floor of the opera house."(1) That would explain why Rin hadn't seen them, it was hard enough to see through the darkness due to the Leviathan's blood as it was and his quick sweep of the place hadn't included checking both floors. It would also explain why his friends could suddenly see Igor's 'angel' as well, as the chairs gave off a sort of gas that, once inhaled, allowed those seated in them to see things they could not before. They were pretty rare demons to find though, so it was as impressive as it was disturbing that Igor had managed to get a hold of so many.

"Wait a sec, 'we'?" he sputtered tucking an arm beneath him and lifting himself off the sheets so he could face them better, "is everyone-" he began to ask if anyone had gotten hurt but a sharp, hot pain in his back ripped the words, along with the breath right out of his mouth. With a short cry of pain his arm gave out and he was back to a face full of a downy pillow.

"Rin!" Shiemi cried moving closer and immediately checking over his bandages, "maybe it has been four days but you still need to rest," she said with a tone reserved only for her more uncooperative patients, "Everyone else had only minor wounds but your still in a serious condition so lie still!"

Rin pursed his lips together and let his eyes grow wide, an expression that mirrored Bon's, and squeaked, "yes ma'am." Despite the way he behaved, the navy haired exwire could understand their need to know even if Yukio had probably explained everything already to them. Well, everything that he already knew. There was still a number of things that even he didn't know, as Bon and Shiemi were quite aware of if their conversation from earlier was any indication. Anyway, he knew that if he was in their positions he would be doing the same thing.

As things in the room calmed Rin debated, even mentally argued with himself. They deserved to know even if he'd do anything to keep them oblivious- especially Shiemi. Her view on life was just far too innocent and he didn't know what he would do should his own experiences ruin that.

"I think it's really selfish of you Rin," that very blonde told him truthfully, her head bowed and gaze locked on the folded palms in her lap.

"Eh?"

"That you keep so many secrets from the people who care for you. It's not fair that you keep trying to keep everything to yourself, like you don't think that we can help you bear the burden," her gaze was pleading when she turned it on him and Rin floundered mentally for a few moments, completely unprepared for such a thing to be thrown at him.

Bon stared at the blonde exwire, baffled. She'd just brought to light the very same thoughts that had simmered and boiled in his mind for the past few months. The very same thing that he had only ever been able to think about, never able to properly announce to his friend as he watched, steaming on the sidelines and helpless to do much more than glare. And yet, here was a girl he'd chalked up to be an oblivious blonde who could do little more than flounder when an argument broke out between her fellow exwires, spouting the same thing he'd thought for so long.

"So stop underestimating your comrades, you fuckin' blueberry," he found his voice a moment later and helped Shiemi finish her request for him to open up.

Rin turned his eyes away from Shiemi, mulling their words over. They were right, in his attempts to keep them from worrying and protect them from a harshness in life they may or may not be aware of Rin had really been doing the exact opposite. Who was he to say that they weren't strong enough or that they'd lash out at him should he open up? He couldn't let the actions of a few forever ruin his ability to socialize with the people who really and truly cared for him.

Taking a breath he said slowly, "I used to think that demons were complete bull shit." Bon raised his eyebrows, widened his eyes and Shiemi brought her head up as he continued, "I didn't believe that they existed at all since humans are bad enough as it is. And," he hesitated, "and even though now I know that demons exist I don't think I'll ever really be afraid of them. They're nothing like humans, who kill each other for fun. Maybe it's just the demons that I've encountered so far but until I meet one who forces children to watch their parents get slashed up then I'll," he trailed off at the horror in Shiemi's eyes. Swallowing he gained his bearings before spreading out a silent promise, a silent oath he'd made to himself long ago, long before he knew demons were real, and finally gave it a voice;

"I'll never fear demons as much as I fear people."

The silence after that proclamation was stunning, far more so than any of the previous lapses in conversation thus far. Everything that they wanted answered, all the questions that they'd had before this point were all satisfied with that one sentence. It was made clear to Bon in the way Rin's eye flashed some foreign emotion that he feared their responses.

"Moron, of course you should fear people. Who wouldn't?" the tanned teen responded gruffly after a few moments of thinking. "Though of course the big difference between demons and people is demons don't have friends," he pointed out with an almost laughable seriousness.

But Rin wasn't laughing. Rather, he was staring at the other with a surprised expression crossed over his features, as though he wasn't sure he'd heard him right.

Shiemi smiled, "we're here for you Rin." The blue exorcist could only stare at them in dumbfounded amazement as memories of promises and vows that they, as a group of exwires not just aiming to become exorcists but also forming close bonds with one another flashed through his mind's eye. All the things they've said and done, all the things they've endured together, all the things they've fought. He found he truly cared for each memory, found that even though humanity might be fearsome and cruel these people would help him see a side of life that he had never even dreamed of seeing.

"_Yeah."_

* * *

><p><strong>(1) Literally means immovable chairs in Croatian. Hey, Mephisto had a German prison cell DOOR demon, why can't I have Croatian chairs? <strong>

**Word is REALLY annoying sometimes, leaves so little room for creativity sometimes. Yes, I KNOW that's a fragment sentence, NO I don't want fix it. Geeze. **

**Okay, it is the fourth of July, its sunny outside, and I'm going to go outside and enjoy my countries independence! XD Happy fourth everyone! :D**

**Fixed what I could of the Blacky/Kuro thing. Dunno what happened with that, bad research. I know, its a stupid name i thought so too...what else...ugh, dun care. If you guys see any "Blacky"s instead of "Kuro"s let me know and I'll go back and fix em.**

**EDIT: Thanks to Kuroneko for giving me the PROPER translation for "immovable chairs" in Croatian. It's so cool to have people who know the language correct me. Thanks again! **


	27. Demon's Tea

**Oh Rin, that nasty habit of yours to wake up at the ass-of-dawn is always bitting you in the butt.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Demon's Tea:

Rin glared accusingly at the apricot white painted ceiling, as though it were to blame for his suffering. He didn't need to look at a clock to know that it was 5:30 AM as his tail slowly flipped back and forth in muted irritation. Yukio had probably, accidentally, fallen asleep in the bed beside his hours ago and likely wouldn't be waking up for a good three more hours. Just as Rin always woke up 5 Yukio would always wake up right on the dot of 8:02. Never a reasonable 8:00, but always just a little bit passed that.

Rin grimaced, turning his head slowly so as not to stretch the still irritated and inflamed wound on his neck so he could see his brother. Pretty much all his wounds but the incision in his back had healed at this point. The only reason he still carried the one on the front side of his shoulder was because the blade that had given him the wound had been so overly coated in holy water. It had closed up but remained a puffy, pink-ish red color in the process of healing and was still very tender to touch. Yukio had told him his healing rate had been greatly hindered by the Leviathan's blood. Apparently the toxin was blocking him from his flames, or at least trying to.

Rin's flames were doing a lot more than Yukio, who had been tearing through book after book looking for some kind of cure to the disease his brother was infected with, had originally anticipated. The fever Rin had been plagued with for the past week had finally scurried away with its tail between its legs earlier that night, and while he was glad that it was gone it also meant he was back to waking up at the crack of dawn again. (And that wasn't entirely to say that he hadn't already blearily woken up a few times at this exact time over the course of his illness.)

Rin sighed exasperatedly and tried to focus a little bit of flame on the wound in his side but was stopped by a quick spark of pain. All his other wounds had taken just a few days for him to heal but this particular one simply refused to be treated. He was only capable of eating away at the remainder of the thick and chewy Leviathan's blood. Ever since the Impure King incident he'd become quite adapt at focusing his flames to the specific areas needed. His flames could do all the work from there, being funneled and condensed onto a specific part of his body made the ordeal easier to recover from. It was just unfortunate that he couldn't have too many painkillers as a result because they fogged up his ability to tell where he was wounded and usually had his ass passed out. And not for very long either, as they tended to wear off more rapidly than when administered to common humans. (1)

Quietly observing the various papers scattered around his younger brother, the blue haired teen tried not to sigh again. He'd already talked to Yukio about what happened with Igor a while ago as the younger cleaned and dressed his wounds. Or at least, he sort of did, and by that he meant that he really didn't. Neither of them had actually said anything, they'd just sat- or in Yukio's case, stood- and let everything pass between them in silence. Nothing really needed to be spoken, no words needed to be exchanged.

They were brothers, so why would they trouble themselves with petty words?

A small smile crossed over his lips at that and he murmured, "you idiot."

The moment was broken by the sound of soft pads on the tile flooring and Rin looked over at the sensation of something falling onto his sheets, a slight clatter accompanying it. From within the darkness Ukobach's little yellow eyes glowed bright, illuminating the area around his gaze with a gentle light. In his hands there was a tray with a still steaming cup of tea.

"Is that valerian tea or motherwort?" Rin quietly whispered.

"Neither," the familiar squeaked, setting down the tray on the nightstand beside his cooking companion. "It's a special demon herb that should help your flames," despite this being said Rin began nurturing a feeling of suspicion.

"and?" Rin asked when the little demon didn't give him the; 'oh yeah, it's going to taste like shit and you're probably going to loose a year and a half worth of memorys' part as he was expected to.

"It'll also help you sleep," the yellow eyed demon carelessly tossed over his shoulder as he jumped off the bed, squeaking a request that Kuro make sure Rin actually drank it too before he disappeared out the infirmary without giving the half-demon a chance to protest.

Kuro lifted his head from his position at Rin's side, watching the other go and mewing out; "**sure thing**."

"You two," Rin growled quietly, "are seriously conspiring against me, aren't you?"

"**Is it conspiracy if you know about it?**" Kuro asked innocently, moving to a spot less in the way as his blue eyed tamer sat up. The latter scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, not actually knowing the answer to that as he frowned. It didn't take long for him to just shake it off a few moments later however, in no mood to think about such things. "**Be sure to drink all of it,**" his familiar reminded him, dipping his head a little to make eye contact as the nightstand he currently sat on was at an awkward elevation and Rin's eyes were turned down towards the sickly colored soup in his mug.

From what his eyes were currently relaying to his brain, the thick liquid in his hand was a kind of pasty, pale, greenish color. Something you might take a look at and immediately turn away. As it was he was glaring down at the 'tea' with a very impressive look of disdain.

_Am I really supposed to drink this?_ He thought, fearing the task at hand to be almost an impossible feat.

"**yep**" Kuro said invading his train of thought rather impolitely and making Rin's tail bounce a little. The black cat sith wasn't given time to mull over the dangers such an act would have brought him had he done it to any other demon as the blue haired exwire threw his head back and downed the distasteful slop. His tamer wasn't unaware of the rudeness of his familiar's behavior either, he wasn't stupid no matter how much he said he was. No, Rin was just lenient with his friend. Anyone else and Kuro would be dead by now.

Such thoughts would have to pass through the sith's mind later as he warily watched his tamer drink the peculiar 'tea'. Said blue haired half-demon was thinking he'd spit the stuff out no sooner than it touched his tongue but in actuality he found that was not the case.

It tasted great. Sort of like a soft, mouthwatering chicken flavor with an indescribable warmth to it. He almost wanted to say the texture was like that of mashed potatoes but something was a little off with that description, it was a little too chunky for that. Try as he might to place the flavor it was to no avail he was unable to recognize the taste of the ingredients his cooking companion had used.

Shaking his head, he simply chugged the rest of it before setting it on the nightstand. Kuro moved to sit beside him again, but first paused to stick his nose into the mug to see if Rin had actually consumed it all. Of course, being a cat, he found himself curious about the taste a moment after he'd discerned that, aside from the small remains around the inside of the mug it was empty. Rin had seemed to enjoy it and whatever Rin liked he liked as well so why not give it a tiny lick?

It was quite possibly the worst flavor the poor sith would ever have the misfortune of tasting. Should Rin have been awake he would have seen the small demon leap back off the nightstand with his little pink tongue hanging out and taken on an amused grin as the creature danced back and forth wiping his tongue with his paws and desperately trying to get the horrid stuff off his taste buds.

The next morning Rin would hear from Yukio that Kuro and Ukobach were apparently on 'non-speaking' terms and wonder what the two had done to each other to deserve such a look from his younger.

**Just like how Kuro loved that catnip whine and Rin hated it XD **

**Karma's a bitch a like that, Kuro XD**

**(1) And thank god for that. Wish me luck with my surgery tomorrow guys! **


	28. Release the Hounds

**Reviews are on the pageee~**

**Yukio's an ass, there is NO excuse for this. OxO (as Rin would, in his present situation would kindly put)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist **

Release the Hounds:

"If any of you bite me, so help me, I _will _burn you," Rin threatened from behind a wet fringe with a deadly pitch to his voice. The dogs, wrapping around his little island that was a post on the edge of the road just across from the door that Mephisto first had him use his cram key to snarled in return. Big and little, healthy and sick, mutts, ferals, and house pets the dogs around him neared a population range in the 30s. Rin had once heard that animals could see things humans couldn't, could sense danger, see demons, and as though to make up for lost time pretty much every dog within a fifty mile radius had decided that this day, _today_, was the day to attack.

Yesterday when he walked past that massive Tosa outside a rather lavish and rich looking house? Oh no, that wasn't _the day_. He was just waiting so he could attack Rin _today_, or more specifically about three and a half hours ago. Before one of the biggest storms he'd ever encountered decided to hit.

All he'd done was attempt to get a bite to eat before his cram classes, having had to skip out on lunch due to forgetting it at home in his rush out the door and not wanting to fight Shura on an empty stomach. Stopping at a canteen a little ways away from school he'd taken a bit of time to wander around and eat. Shura would have stolen it if he'd arrived with his sandwich in hand.

How was he to know that he'd be attacked by just about every dog in town, feral or otherwise? Seriously, it was ridiculous. After about thirty minutes of attempting to shake them off he'd had to give up and take refuge in height. Turns out getting rid of a bloodhound is a lot harder than getting rid of a psychotic hobo or bitch, who would have guessed? He'd spent another ten minutes up there trying to muster up the courage to call Shura and ask for a bit of help, forcing himself to ignore his own pride in the process.

Of course, after his bloody, gory, mental battle with himself she didn't pick up the phone. No matter how he tried he just could not reach her. The only other person he could think to call for assistance was Yukio, who was in the middle of a lesson.

At the time Rin could smell the scent of rain and knew what was coming. He could feel the same things the dogs could;

Something was coming with that storm. And he had to get out of there before it came. Too bad the dogs didn't react the same way, stupid mutts. Rin wondered if maybe they were possessed because surely they could sense that storm too and he could not for the life of him figure out why such an obviously cared for Akita would leave the comfort of his home just to bark at Rin. As fun as that sounded, a storm of this magnum was far more important.

So, with the weight of his predicament in his voice he'd called his younger brother. Wonderful, loving, kind little Yukio said with a stoic and soulless tone, "I'll come get you after the lesson."

He'd then, as it seemed, promptly forgotten about his brother.

The storm probably hit Rin about an hour and a half, maybe closer to two hours ago. He was completely soaked to the bone, had no reception, was hungry again, and even though he didn't have to worry about getting cold or anything, his back was positively killing him. It felt like a body-builder was punching a plump, mushy bruise as hard as they could, fist dripping lemon juices and starting to break skin. The wound had pretty much healed by now so he didn't really have to worry too much about it opening over simple movements- but it _hurt_ like _hell_. The Leviathan's blood, even after being completely wiped clean by his flames had made the healing process irritatingly slow. So agonizingly timid in it's self-repair that it made an average human seem like a super fast healer. How many weeks had he been healing now? And it wasn't until recently that he learned his flames were, under the right circumstances, pain killers by themselves.

How did he figure it out? Well, they stopped being painkillers the moment the Leviathan's blood was safely out of his system.

Lucky him.

Sighing, Rin turned his gaze to sweep around the darkness in search of something. He wasn't sure what it was, but_ something _was wrong with all of this.

"I swear, if that Igor guy returns I'm going to show him what dissection-" he stopped himself from saying further. Unfortunately for both Rin and the rest of his friends, the crazy idiot had had a few more tricks up his sleeve and while Rin was unconscious he'd managed to twist away into the shadows. Granted, that had probably been easy as Yukio's attention was completely on Rin and the rest of the exwires were busy trying to kill off what remained of his angel. Yeah guess that thing was like a cockroach even after its head had pretty much been torn off by Rin's tail. For obvious reasons, Rin did not like this man.

And even though he said this, he didn't really think Igor was there. This just didn't quite seem like something that man would do. Besides there was a different flavor to the air, something that was more grotesque than even that crazed scientist hung like violet waves in the night sky.

Growing rather tired of it all, being stuck like a cat up a tree while dogs of all variety bark and snarl at him Rin stood to his full height and let out a chilling roar, allowing his flames to pour out of his body. For fear of someone seeing he'd chosen not to use his flames but given the circumstances he wasn't given a choice anymore. A few of the lesser dogs beneath him ran away yipping and squealing but unfortunately for Rin a good size of them remained. Tails between their legs, they appeared as though they wished to do the same but something, or maybe someone was keeping them in place.

But Rin no longer cared about it, no longer gave half a shit about it. He was not known for being patient and today he'd had to be such for over three hours in the pouring rain and driving winds with lightning and thunder overhead.

Leaping down off his post he kept low to the ground as a large hound leapt overhead, jaws wide open. Another came up to get a bite out of Rin's shoulder but he slammed his fist into its muzzle and sent it back into the puddles whimpering. He flipped back as a grey mutt raced over to latch onto his arm, unable to move away in time as he kicked away two others. It bit into his arm and Rin snarled in return, unable to stop himself from speaking in demonic tongues.

"_Fucking let go, you ass-mutt_," he growled, slamming the dangling dog's head into his knee and knocking the poor animal unconscious. Pulling the Kurikara off his back he slammed it like a baseball bat into a big black Akita, sending the animal flying across the road and into a construction sign. Two others that had not yet been beaten down flung themselves forward to bite his ankles and he dodged away. His sneakers skittered across the wet pavement, unable to get a proper grip and splashing through a puddle.

A panting Great Dane reached out to snap at the wound on his back. Knowing it was there due to scent but not noticing the blue-black tail that lobbed right through its shoulder before it was on the ground, dead once again.

Eyes widening, Rin stared perplexedly at the dead and already rotting creature. How many of these things were already deceased? Turning to the ring of snarling dogs around him he searched the mass. His attempts to sniff the air bore fruit, discovering who was dead and who was not; all but three.

Three whom he had already conveniently taken out.

Grinning, he spoke again- though this time aware of it- in the tongue of a demon.

"_You lot want to play fetch?_" clutching the Kurikara in his hand he unsheathed the beautiful blade, blue flames flowing out of him and leaping dangerously eager towards the unwavering dead. "_Try to catch this!_" he roared, swiping his sword in 180 degree slash. He turned with his blade in the air and drove it through a large white Siberian husky as it leapt towards him, paws extended forwards and maw open to reveal rows of sharp, white teeth. Releasing another wall into three nearing others, he was left with just four more. Feinting to the side he pulled his sword downwards, throwing it into the back of a snarling hound as it made an attempt to dislodge his balance and then rolling over his shoulder to avoid the claws of its canine companion- running his blade down its shoulder as he passed and lighting it on fire. He then proceeded to roll a ball of spitting flame under the paws of the fourth like a grenade, letting it rise up with explosive power and engulf the undead dog in but a few brief seconds.

Just as he stood, however, a feeling of uncertainty filled him. Why was that? He'd just defeated the things keeping him from getting back to the dormitories he shared with Yukio so why should he feel uncertain? Panting he tightened his grip on the Kurikara's hilt and looked to the sky, unnerved. What was this instinct all about? He searched his surroundings thoroughly but found nothing. None of his senses could pick up on it, no scent, no sights, all he had was instinct.

Just to be sure that nothing was following him he took a few turns on the way to the dorms, using his street smarts to loose whatever it was that could be following him.

Finally, another hour later he was standing outside the dorms unfazed by the old appearance and slightly comforted by the glow of light in the windows. He took a step forward, muscles relaxing and a sigh escaping his lips as he reached for the door handle. Before his fingers could touch the cold metal, however he suddenly found himself leaping back.

Looking up he found a seal placed at the top of the intersection between the two doors. He scowled darkly at it wishing for nothing more than to send it afire but knowing that it had to be there for a reason at the same time. Practically steaming he bounced up, tore the strip of paper off the wall and entered the building. Slapping the innocent little crapper back on the inner door and he then turned to head towards the room he shared with Yukio, intending to grab a new pair of clothes so he could shower himself and then cook dinner.

Yukio was currently sitting inside the study room a floor beneath the room he shared with his elder brother (right next to the stairs) with the rest of the exwires waiting for the call that would either have them all battling to the death against swarms of Goryō or even the spirit of the unburied dead, Gashadokuro, or call off the alarm. He was in the middle of explaining to them just what a Gashadokuro was when a voice spat through the open door.

"Oh, so not only do you _forget_ about me, but you also place seals on the damn dorms so I can't get in," a vein on Rin's forehead snapped but he was too tired to raise his voice, "Yukio, you are officially the world's _worst_ younger brother."

The expression on Yukio's face was pure gold; eyes wide, glasses disheveled, mouth gaping open and face growing pale. Because really he _had_ forgotten about Rin, completely and utterly forgot about his elder brother in the chaos that had had him taking the other exwires to the dorms so he could provide them with protection against something that may or may not be out there. He'd just assumed, somewhere in the back of his mind that he'd practically programmed to always think about his brother, that Shura was keeping an eye on him somewhere safe.

It certainly didn't help that his brother looked as though he'd just come home from a war, pink blood running down his white-gray sopping shirt. Teeth marks visible on his right arm, clothes torn, and steam radiating off of him. From the way his tail curled around his stomach it was also made clear his discomfort and tired irritation.

Rin would have none of his brother's attempts to talk to him thereafter, punishing the other by speaking only in gruff ancient demon tongues that very few knew anymore and thoroughly surprising the rest of the exwire group in the process.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't you guys just love how vague I'm being here? XD<strong>

**Mmmm, I feel as though my ending was too abrupt. But whatever, it works ok. Also, let me remind you that Yukio is also probably really tired. Having to spend so much time researching remedies to help Rin deal with the Leviathan's blood, help the exwires with their own wounds (just some scrapes and bruises), figure out that Igor got away and try to decide how to track him down (if it all, Mephisto might do that) Poor kids been tugged around up and down and he's so tired, he's going to fuck up sooner or later. Give him some credit.**


	29. Himuro Mansion

**Fweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehew… ) *holds hands out* scary chappy = fun, mean, creative, suspenseful and connection-ish to last chappy. *gestures to other hand* non scary chappy = lame ass explanation chappy, nice, and me trying to figure out how to NOT be at least SORTA mean to Rin.**

**Scary chappy for sure. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Himuro Mansion:

The moon let out a soft unearthly glow that cast silver streams through the night. Lit by its light the Himuro mansion stood a silent guardian in the darkness, it's shadowed face twisted and cruel as it bore witness to countless murders. It observed the occupants daring enough to wander inside its belly with gray, flaking paint- rubbed smooth by the rain and winds. It's horrifying posture the inspiration for a Japanese game by the name of _Fatal Frame,_ the building- despite knowing what was happening within it, allowed nothing to leave it. No light, no sound, no living.

It stood silent on the lonely outskirts of Japan uncaring to the unperturbed world around it and unaffected by the red haired woman sitting on its steps, guzzling down Chuuhai and seeming to wait for something.

Yes, the world on the outside was safely unaware of the terror occurring from within the old unmaintained building. Or it was until the woman's phone gave a happy ring.

Pursing her lips together she reached into her chest to pull the device out, smiling when she saw the ID of who was calling and answering it a moment later.

"Open the fucking door!" Rin bellowed into the receiver, "now!" he shrieked and suddenly Shura could hear the sound of rapid footsteps nearing followed by the tremble that only a mob of demons could create.

This mansion was only supposed to have two ghouls in it, the point of leaving Rin in there alone was to see if he could not only find them before they began hunting him but also take them out without disturbing anything else inside the house. At most, Shura had supposed there would only be a few hobgoblins and a maybe a couple Goryō- as there seemed to be so many of them since that storm a few days ago. It wasn't too unusual for Goryō to come along for the ride of a dangerous hurricane, stealing away lives in the chaos and feeding on corpses as they went. Unlike others of their kind they were not grounded and could easily follow you home. In fact, they'd be delighted to follow you home and nibble at you once they'd killed you.

In any case, the only middle upper class demons within this mansion were the two ghouls. So when Rin burst through that door with about six middle-upper class demons hot on his tail Shura's first reaction was to say;

"What the _hell_ did yew fuckin' _do_?" No more time was given to the eldest Okumura than to spit out a curse as he leapt off the front porch with Shura following after. Circumstances weren't very favorable at the moment- what with it raining and them running through the slick mud and all. Even if the weather hadn't been as bad as it was they still probably wouldn't have been able to take that many middle-upper class demons head on by themselves and to make everything worse it was not only a full moon but also the longest night.

So yeah, fuck them. Shura cursed and followed her student as he led them around to the other side of the mansion in search of another door to use her key on.

"Here we go," She smirked letting Rin skid to a stop and call over his shoulder as she grabbed her key.

"I'll cover you until you get the door open, hurry up Tit's Mcgee!"

Mental note to kill him if he doesn't get himself wasted made, Shura inserted the key and threw open the door, not at all caring where it was in the dorms she would land and just wanting to get through.

Leaping into the darkened hallway she turned to Rin, "I'm going to close the door on yar ass if yew don't get it over here!" She couldn't be sure if he squeaked or if it was one of the demons but with one last swipe at a nearby aonyōbō he turned to flee. Flying into the corridor and narrowly escaping the claws of a Basamoo Rin tumbled into the door opposite the one Shura had opened. Slamming the door with a loud wham, the red haired woman was sure to latch it with a quick chant (just to be safe) before she whirled around and pulled her blue haired student into a vicious head-lock. "What the hell did yew think yew were doin' in there ya mutt?" she yowled irritably, "I said get rid o' the two middle-class demon's in there. Where the hell did yew find six _middle-upper class demons?"_

"How should I know?" Rin yelled back, eyes closed as he struggled to escape his sensei's grip, "they all came out of nowhere after I followed that chibi!"

"What the hell kinda nonsense are yew talkin' 'bout?" she snarled, "because of yew I had to leave my Chuunai behind!"

"_That's_ what you're so mad about?" a loud crack emptied out of Rin's neck at that. "Ahhh, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, ow, ow, ow, I give, I give!" he sputtered out rapidly, tripping over his own words and she cracked his neck again.

"Oh~" she sang with a tone that was deceptively sweet, a red tint poured across her cheeks, "what's wrong? Yar so stiff~"

But Rin froze, senses sparking at the sound of a giggle resonating from the end of the hall. He tried to turn but was reminded of his current predicament when Shura went to crack his neck again.

"Ah! Why can't you just go buy yourself some more if it's so important!" he shrieked.

"Fine, then you can look after them!" she ordered shoving him into an empty dorm and slamming the door closed.

He stood there a moment, at a loss with his tail slumped behind him and let out a pathetic, "eh?" before he turned to see the rest of the exwires across the room, apparently having interrupted a study session.

With the Goryō still outside it was too dangerous to send them back to their respective homes and apparently a clever Jorōgumo had cut off all the complex key connections for lower levels so now only certain keys were able to connect. It seemed that the focus of this had been on lower level keys, easier make-ups than ones of the like Shura had just used.

"What the hell was that about?" Shima chuckled and Rin glared contemptuously at him in return.

"Man, you look drained," Bon commented with just as much amusement in his voice as there was sarcasm.

"And you look like a chicken," the blue haired exwire countered. Bon pulled his face into a snarl, ready to retort and hop into the usual routine when Rin spoke again, "an ugly chicken."

"Ya damn blue light bulb, what the hell is that supposed to mean?" But his comrade wasn't listening anymore, ears perked and head turned back to the door with his eyebrows scrunched.

"Would you shut up?" Izumo spat from where she sat at the table beside an open book, "some of us are here to study you know."

"Eh?" Konekomaru began, "this is supposed to be a study_ group_ not an individual thing, right?"

"Rin?" the concern in Shiemi's voice was enough to make the rest of the group quiet down. The probably youngest aria-in-training was the first to notice the stillness of Rin's tail and was immediately reminded of cat's he'd seen hunting before. It was lifted behind him, the tip curving just slightly while it stood stock straight behind the teen. (1)

"Oi idiot-"

"Sh!" Rin shushed Bon before he could even get three words out. Straining to hear the sound, Shima almost jumped sky-high when he did. A soft whispering rasp followed by a sluggish thump, thump, thump. Like a drunk person slowly shambling forward.

Or like a person dragging a dead body.

From the back of the crowd he let out a little 'eep'. Rin's eyes were glued to the door as he listened to the sound for a few seconds more as though to confirm that; yes, it was there. Carefully, slowly, he made his way to stand but froze a second before he could lift himself from kneeling. He could hear the sound of the others moving as well, shifting into battle ready positions. Before any of them could get completely prepared he swung his head around to the window beside him.

A pale, grey child's face had pressed itself against the glass looking in on the rooms occupants with blood dripping off its chin and running out of its eyes.

There was a volley of surprised cries from behind him but Rin found himself far more irritated then astonished. He'd dealt with far more precarious situations before; last time he'd brought back home an uninvited guest there wasn't any seals to keep it out. This demon would be unable to get inside but it sure as hell couldn't stay out there and thoroughly confuse them by making sounds that weren't actually there either. If it could confuse Rin's ears- even if only for a few moments- it was definitely a threat.

"_Get lost, ya low-class_," he growled in pig latin. It was unlikely that it would listen but he thought that it would be better than allowing it to do as it pleased. The smiling face frowned and pressed itself closer summoning a snarl from it's prince in the process. To help it recognize his position he let a flame leap off his head and growled warningly. The face immediately pulled back and vanished into the night.

Nodding in satisfaction Rin turned to the various expressions of confused horror.

"Whaddya guys want for dinner?"

**EDIT: (1) That's a lie~! Cat's normally have their tails straight and out while hunting not up like that. But you know, to hell with it cause its 5:30 AM and I haven't had a SECOND of sleep tonight...or last night. Whatever.**

**That stuff about the Goryō? I made it up so don't freak out if you look it up and find that the information I'm given ya is bull~ **

**Also, while doing my usual research I came across this: Jubokko - A vampire tree. I am thoroughly entertained . _ .**


	30. Pocket of Sun

**Short chappy is short :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Pocket of Sun:

There are no words to describe this kind of unbearable heat, just no words. The exwires had been lucky enough to have Shiemi there to provide cover by summoning a seed with the help her little greenman, Nii-chan, but there was only so much shade could do in this kind of situation.

"It should be illegal for things to get this hot," Shima whined, earning a tired look from Konekomaru.

"I'm not sure that putting a law against the heat would help at all," he said pointedly.

"Well it should," the pink haired aria in training pouted brushing away drops of sweat from his brow from where he lay sprawled out over the grass beneath the tree.

"Oh suck it up," Izumo said, trying not to pant, "it could be worse. Stop acting like children."

"Easy for you to say," Bon muttered, too tired to raise his voice, "you're wearing a miniskirt."

If it weren't for the fact that they were all there for a mission they guys would likely have discarded their shirts and the girls their stockings and shoes. But alas they had to wait for Shura- who was now 25 minutes late- before they continued on with their mission of disposing a few misbehaving boggart. At least the park they were sitting at was unpopulated; no one wanted to be out in this heat at a big open park like this.

"I'm sorry I can't do anything more," Shiemi apologized, upset that she couldn't do anything to help relieve her friends of their discomfort.

"That's alright Moriyama-san," Konekomaru's tone already held gratitude and he smiled at her, "you don't need to keep apologizing."

"Yeah, this is a hell of a lot better than nothing," Bon agreed.

"None of this changes the fact that it's _hot_," Shima panted, wriggling on the grass.

"If you wriggle like that you're only going to get hotter," Izumo pointed out plainly. The pale youth stopped squirming, sweating and groaning in the blistering heat.

Shaking his head, Bon turned his attention to the eldest Okumura as he lay not too far away sprawled out under the shade as silent and still as a rock.

"How you holding up, Okumura?" he asked.

Rin's only response was to literally breathe a tall spear of flame, releasing a loud _fwoosh_ as it ran off his tongue and climbed the already hot air to just barley scrape against the nearest branch.

Shima rolled away from the extra heat, the others shying back in similar fashions due to the pull of instinct.

"IIII'mmm meeelllttiing," the exwire moaned miserably. Most flame type demons got energy from the sun so they were at their most powerful on days like this. But then again, most of those demon's did not have to repress their flames like Rin did. It didn't matter how much he subdued the flames they still made everything hotter. Panting, Rin allowed little candle sized flames to flow out along his breath wishing that he could let a few flames loose and lower his own temperature. Seriously he felt like his blood was boiling.

"Hey wait a minute," Izumo began, voice startled and red eyes wide, "shouldn't all of this be good for you?"

"Too much energy," Rin carped in response, words broken by panting, "no release," the last word was spread out through a long groan.

"Ah, I guess that could happen. He's getting so much energy from the heat that he's got to be twice as hot as the rest of us due to holding it back," Konekomaru said knowledgeably.

Shima let out a sympathetic chuckle, "I can't even begin to imagine how that is, with it already being so hot and all."

"Hey Mr. Heat-wave!" a familiar voice called out and all heads swiveled to see a familiar figure running their way with a cooler in hand. Shiemi breathed in sharply, joy and hope twinkling through her eyes.

"Is that water?" she asked.

Shura grinned, opening the cooler and took out a plastic bottle with a nod. Before Rin could so much as sit up he found his body hissing as deliciously cold water poured over his face and chest. He didn't even care that it was getting in his nose or that he couldn't breathe, hell, _breathing _wasn't even his concern at this point. Seriously, the water _sizzled_ when it touched his skin.

Once the entire bottle had been emptied Shura returned to the cooler to pull out two more, one for herself and then one for the now half dry Rin.

"Yew good?" she asked, tossing him a cool plastic bottle as she did so.

Rin, chugging down his water bottle, gave her a thumbs up in reply.

"Good," she said pleasantly, grabbing the cooler and dumping the remaining ice over the knight-in-training.

***hoses self down outside* it's hototototot**


	31. Refreshments

**I kinda miss putting my reviews at the top of the page, it was easier.**

**Meeeerp. Anywhoo, Rin is such a housewife sometimes XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Refreshments:

_At least today wasn't as hot as it was yesterday,_ Rin thought over the roar of the blender with a sigh. It was a good 100 degrees outside, if not 110 now, and even though the exwires were now permitted to return to their own respective homes they had to have their classes at the dorms due to what the infestation did to their classroom. Both teachers and students were sweltering hot despite the various fans placed around to help calm the heat and as Rin passed by the open door to the replacement classroom he'd almost gagged at the smell of sweat.

Curse his sensitive demon nose.

Tossing a longing look to the seven glasses of vanilla milkshakes he found himself full on cursing Yukio for managing to slip away to a mission by the beach. Behind his annoyed tail flipping Kuro sat with his nose dipped into a small trough of ice water switching between lapping it up and just holding his paws inside it. Rin had been sure to have him 'wash' his paws first, not wanting his sith getting sick because he'd stepped into his own water or tracking dirt onto the counter. Ukobach let out a content warble, water sloshing as the familiar shifted in the sink.

"Ukobach!" Rin sputtered, "what the hell, we cook in there!"

"I'll wash it out later," the familiar warbled far too comfortably. Kuro let out a gurgling sound and Rin turned to stare at the black cat sith as he blew into his trough of water, causing droplets of it to splash over his body and onto the counter in a way of keeping himself cool. He was sure he was going to turn around next time to find his familiar sitting in the bowl at this point.

_Every damn one of them,_ Rin would have been far more irritated with the two despite what his exasperated expression implied if it was a good ten degrees higher. Today was easier on him due to having access to cool refreshments and being granted the time to relieve himself of his over eager flames in his training with Shura.

Though of course the carefree woman had eventually had to put the sword practice on hold due to the combined heat of both Rin's flames and the sun, telling him to practice with the candles he'd already mastered before taking off to dip herself into a cool, refreshing bath. Rin had practiced with the flames for about fifteen minutes before he got bored of messing with the heights like the sound levels to a techno song and had decided to go for a walk around the dorms. That was how he had come to pass the exwires temp classroom and with a quick peak inside had figured that, well, since he had time he might as well make a few milkshakes.

With an eyebrow twitching, Rin returned to the finished milkshake and poured it out into a glass before setting it by the others. Each glass had a nice little topping of whip cream with two strawberries to dress them and a straw poking through. Perfectly made and 'decorated' they sat on the serving counter somehow managing to look incredibly innocent for inanimate objects with condensation dribbling down their sides. Picking one up for himself he counted off on one hand who he had ready to serve.

"Bonbon, Eyebrows, Shiemi, Shima, Konekomaru, and that teacher," he paused. It wasn't particularly like he_ wanted_ to give this man something to drink at all. In fact he probably shouldn't have as the guy was one of many teachers who still gave him the you're-dangerous-and-shouldn't-be-near-my-class look. He pressed his lips together and sighed through his nose, _whatever, if the guy doesn't drink it someone else probably will. _

Like an imaginary light bulb flickering on, a realization suddenly popped through his mind's eye the second his lips touched the rim of his glass.

Shura was going to want one too.

Taking a long, thoughtfully delicious sip of the cool, sweet, flavorful shake he turned back towards the fridge to pull out the ice-cream again. Three scoops, a bit of milk, and some vanilla flavoring later he was once again next to the blender observing the progress of the drink. Just as he finished, placing a straw in place and setting it on the counter Shura arrived with her hair still wet from her greatly needed bath. (Seriously, she had pretty much been soaked through by her own sweat and there wasn't much for her to soak through as it was)

"Ooohh~" she swooned, sweeping a glass up and taking a long sip, "Pfah! Nothing like a nice milkshake to chase away the heat."

Seeing that he likely wouldn't get the opportunity to bring the collection of milkshakes up to his friends now that his teacher had arrived Rin raised an eyebrow at the woman and called out to the relaxing Ukobach.

"Hey, would you bring these to the guys upstairs?" Shura leaned over the counter with a vixen grin on her face, amused to see the familiar so at ease in such a place.

The creature appeared as though he wanted to protest but upon realizing how unfair that would be to Rin, nodded and grabbed a towel and his apron off of the tap.

Smiling Shura grabbed the blue haired cook's attention by leaning forwards a little more, "yew ready to go on a field trip?"

Rin was _not_ ready to go on a field trip, at least, not to kill acid spitting worms in the Gobi desert he wasn't. He was seriously going to complain to Mephisto about giving Shura that key someday.

Later that day, and by day I mean night, Rin stumbled into the kitchen caked with sand and sweat and pass-out-on-your-ass tired, completely unprepared for the looks of gratitude and joy he received on entering.

A few awkward moments after almost getting tackled by Shima out of pure- was it gratitude or delight that drove the other to behave like that? Whatever the case it was suspicious and less than a minute after giving his friends a skeptical glance he told them dully;

"If this is about dinner it's not going to be ready for another," he exchanged a glance with Ukobach, "2 and a half hours." It only occurred to him that they might not be staying the night after he said this. Why _would_ they spend the night? After all there shouldn't be any reason they couldn't go home, right?

"Idiot, we just wanted to thank you for making us those milkshakes earlier," Bon spat, looking embarrassed. Surprise flew across Rin's face and he seemed even more confused now than he had been when Shima had tried to tackle him.

"They were so _good_," said pink haired monk commented dramatically, giving his friend the thumbs up and almost crying. In times of extreme heat Shima could complain like there was no tomorrow and while his reaction to it wasn't_ nearly_ as bad as his reactions to insects it certainly wasn't to be underestimated even despite his previous experiences with such warmth. He then received a series of various other forms of thank you's from his friends, even managing to get one out of Kamiki as well.

"They could have been a lot worse," Izumo muttered quietly.

"Oi, does nothing ever satisfy you?" Bon asked, though his voice held a slightly hidden tease to it.

The dark purplish haired individual seemed to whip around at him and barked, clearly uncomfortable being caught _thanking_ someone (especially Rin) "I just like chocolate better, you oaf!"

Before an argument could rip out through them Rin let himself bear a wide grin and say, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time."

Izumo's furious blush spread over both cheeks and she leaned back almost instinctively. Seeming to realize the attention she had gained for herself she whirled around and stormed away with an angry, "you better!"

Looking over to the sink to see Ukobach pulling out the now cleaned glasses and placing them back in their respective cupboard he remembered the teacher.

"Ah, who drank the sensei's milkshake?" he asked, automatically assuming that it had been left untouched by the blonde, curly, haired individual.

"'Who'?" Bon repeated quizzically.

"He drank it himself, didn't he?" Konekomaru wondered, feeling unsure at the baffled look on Rin's face.

"He wanted us to say thank you for him too," Shiemi said smiling innocently.

"A-ah, yeah," Rin said, stunned. He was broken out of his stupor by a happy trill from Ukobach.

Apparently there had been a bet between the cook and Kuro to see if the man would be brave or smart enough to drink the milkshake and it seemed that the cooking familiar had won the bet. Though, neither Kuro nor Ukobach would tell the half-demon that they'd planned on giving the man hot tea if he had refused to drink it.

**Ppppfff. **

**I know that I normally try and give you guys two chapters in one day but I'm not sure I'll be able to get around to posting a second today cause I wana watch a movie with my dad and go for a run so don't expect to get spoiled XD Also, I have work tomorrow so there definitely won't be TWO stories tomorrow, if we're lucky I'll find the time to write us all one.**


	32. The Call

**No time to go over and respond to reviews so there aren't any new ones on the page, sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ao no exorcist**

The Call:

He was supposed to be keeping watch. Not sleeping like a sloth on like the 27th branch of a great fern. From below, Bon scowled up at the eldest Okumura, well aware that he was not sleeping due to the pull of exhaustion but because he thought he could get away with it. Just because no demons could be seen didn't necessarily mean that there weren't any, damnit!

"Okumura-kun can really sleep well for such an uncomfortable place," Konekomaru commented beside him, having finished setting up tents and leaving Shima and Takara to gather firewood. (Because Shima's help on the tent matter was just as limited as Rin's apparent effort) Behind them Izumo was helping Shiemi finish up with the rest of the protective circle and Yukio was sitting on a log next to the empty fireplace apparently reading something.

"Tche," Bon spat, "he's supposed to be on the lookout for the Katakirauwa." The group had been given a mission to take out the legendary black, red-eyed pig creature just the other day and had woken up to a bright and early dawn to head their way over to their current location inside Hichimantai National Park. Of course, when they were boarding their bus Rin was pretty much the only one properly awake- as he had been for well over an hour, and was thereby content to drive Bon nuts by sipping a cup of still very warm coffee. Rin was already awake and as such didn't actually need the cup as direly as the teen with a cocks-comb hair style, simply bringing it along so that he could irk the other.

And irk him he did. Bon had held firm to his irritation throughout the remainder of the day. No matter how childish it may have seemed it was cruel of the half-demon to wave such inviting, lifesaving liquid in front of him.

"Maybe he really is just tired, Bon," his bald friend offered, "after all, Shura-san has already done the same."

Bon turned his attention away from the monkey in the tree and looked over to see the woman passed out on a log not too far away from Yukio's, snoring the evening away as though it wasn't prime time for the Katakirauwa to attack. Being an ancient demon from a tale not known by many people outside of Japan, the Katakirauwa is a black pig with one ear, no shadow, and is said to steal people's souls by running between their legs. Highly feared among Japanese culture the pig is also said to only hunt people during the hours of late evening and night. Having heard the conversation Shima, who had just returned, haphazardly dumped his firewood in the unlit fireplace and made his way over.

"Like teacher like student," he chuckled, gazing between the two sleeping people. Konekomaru smiled at that but Bon stubbornly held onto his scowl.

"If he doesn't wake up I'm going to start throwing things at him," he threatened.

"Yuki-chan," Shiemi's voice held a combination of reserve and a little bit of nervousness as she watched from off on the sidelines, "maybe you should wake Rin up." The younger Okumura looked up from his book and observed the three arias-in-training gazing up the tree that his brother had leapt into with considerable skill- likely provided by his tail- a few hours previous. Of course he'd figured that Rin would fail miserably in keeping watch but that's not why he'd put him up there.

He'd recently read an article in one of his books that explained most high class demons had the ability of sensing other demons nearby without ever having to see, hear, or smell them. They just _knew _that they were there, sort of like a sixth sense if you will. So if a middle-upper class demon like the Katakirauwa were to show up anywhere nearby it was likely that Rin would end up falling out the tree and acting on the sense, letting them all immediately know that it was there whether he meant to or not.

So, in other words, Yukio was simply using Rin as a test subject.

But still, it probably wasn't good to let his brother _sleep_ so high up in the tree you could barely see him from on the ground as it was. If he fell there might be a problem so Yukio probably _should_ wake him up because no matter how much Rin deserved the bruises it didn't present respectable teacher behavior.

Sighing, the brown-black haired teen rose from his seat and made his way over to the tree, leaving Izumo to mutter about how stupid this whole matter is.

"Ah, sensei," Shima announced his presence to his friends and they turned to watch as he passed them. Standing directly beneath the tree and looking up at his elder Yukio almost broke his composure and raised an eyebrow.

From his position on the ground he could see his brother's slumped posture, one leg and one arm hanging off the branch while he presumed the other leg lay spread out over the branch, right arm set on his stomach. He could actually hear his soft snores from on the ground and pictured his elder's sleeping face, eyes closed, mouth open and drool running out of the corner of his mouth.

Shaking his head he cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a sound he'd long ago learned his brother _hated_, knowing that such a feeling would only be enhanced now that his brother's hearing was better. It started out as a simple whistle that was eventually accompanied by a simultaneous low 'ooohing' sound. The result was a noise that people said sounded similar to that of a spaceship, or at least, what they thought one would sound like should they ever get the chance to hear it.

Just like everyone had a few odd things that they absolutely hated, Rin had his own share of them. It was just his misfortune that his brother knew what they were. So of course Yukio knew that the following reaction would be a consequence of the sound.

Jerking violently, Rin flew into a full state of wakefulness a few seconds later as he was dislodged from his position in the tree, tipping to the side and smashing the back of his head on a branch not too much lower than his own. Stunned and confused the teenager attempted to right himself as he fell through the branches only just barely avoiding what would have been a _horrible _landing to his crotch.

It was only on the last branch that he finally managed to get a proper grip and hooked his legs around its rough surface so that he would swing down without having to worry about the final drop.

With his arms crossed over his chest and a totally casual snarl on his face Rin barked, "Damnit, Yukio, you _know_ I hate that sound!" as though he _hadn't _just fallen about four to five stories down. "Shut up Shima!" He added, throwing an offensive finger at the other as he bent himself in half with a hand over his mouth trying and failing to hide his howling laughter. Bon was smirking, swallowing his own laughter as Konekomaru's shoulders jumped up and down with his silent chuckling.

"Not a very nimble monkey, are you?" Bon snickered and Rin's tail tensed behind him, the appendage unwrapping itself from the tree and forming a zig-zaging 'z' behind him.

"Then what does that make you, chicken?" Rin jeered in return.

Yukio was unable to keep himself from smirking a little; it wasn't unacceptable behavior if Rin hadn't received anything more than a few bruises. Besides, the others would probably agree that his elder had it coming. He opened his mouth to reprimand the other but was interrupted when a stick, a rather large stick at that, was thrown through the air and slammed into the center of Rin's forehead.

With a yelp of pain the other fell the rest of the way down listening to the song of Shura's angry shriek, "I'm tryna' sleep yew dip wads! Shut up before I start glueing yar trappers closed!"

**Katakirauwa: voices . yahoo ?cat=37**

**Ok so Shura had a tiresome mission before this one, so that's why she has good reason to be irritated (kinda sorta). And she just finds joy in making Rin suffer~ Though she makes others of the group suffer as well at points XD**

**Mmmm, ok, so I have to be at work in less than an hour so my own check over will probably end up being a little sloppy cause I still gotta make myself lunch and crap. If anyone notices anything then just leave it and I'll get back to it later **


	33. Piranhas

**WEW, now I smell like sweat and hard work~! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

**(This is a brain blurb that I don't know what to do with 8I )**

Boredom was a funny thing, kind of like a disease it hits everyone at some point or another. Usually, though, Rin found that whenever he was around his friends he was never bored. And how could he be? They were fun people to talk to, to laugh with, to get angry at, etc., etc.

So of course in this situation he'd be horribly, horribly bored. Rin found himself slumped back in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk and a guitar in hand somehow with _nothing to do._ Shura had given him the instrument and some notes to practice with while he waited for everyone to show up for their little 'trip' but he'd already pretty much mastered the song and all he had were a few hiccups that needed to be sorted out. Those he could smooth over on the way to their destination. It seemed that he was needed for a little performance at this new inn they'd be staying at and even though Rin made it clear he did _not_ want to he wasn't going to be given a choice. It wasn't that he had a problem with large crowds, oh no, he wasn't as easy to embarrass as that.

No, he simply didn't want to. His passion for playing an instrument wasn't like his passion for cooking, it didn't give him the same thrill nor did it interest him as much. He only ever played when a situation forced him into it, tapping into his short memory to gather up everything he'd already learned in a stunning display of recall for a teenager such as himself. But nope, Shura didn't give half a rat's ass about that. She'd just dumped him in the cram classroom and told him to wait there while she went to figure a few things out for the subway ride there, seeing as how taking a key to this place wasn't as easy as they would have liked.

He leaned his head back and belted out a few spontaneous notes, groaning.

"I'm so fuckn' bored!" he announced to the empty classroom. Strumming the polished guitar Shura had stolen from his room earlier that day he repeated the same tune over and over again, head still turned back reciting the names of each chord in a dull drone. He stopped reciting the strings and instead began to pick up speed in his strums, playing the same song twice as fast so it sounded like a messy jumble of notes.

Grinning he thought, _that's actually a little annoying_. He did it again, this time with just a few commonly used chords and his grin turned dark and mischievous. They'd all be stuck in the same cab for a good four hours and during that time he'd probably be smoothing out the wrinkles in the song he was meant to play. So who says he couldn't have a bit of fun in the process?

He stopped strumming, absentmindedly plucking at the strings without really thinking about what he was playing. He sucked in an aggravated breath and looked at the guitar for a while, unsure of what to play.

A few moments later he changed positions so that he was laying upside down with the guitar held slightly awkwardly in his lap. He'd been in here for over 2 hours now, you can't blame him for turning to weird methods to keep himself entertained.

Knocking his knuckles against the wooden body of his instrument and then turning to pluck the strings before once more knocking his knuckles against the base. The sound that resulted from this little experiment was interesting enough for him to continue to try it and eventually, before he was even really aware of it he'd created his very own song. Knuckle taps, plucking, rapid strumming, rubbing his fingers over the strings to create a light screeching sound then pulling his hands away to let it hum.

It probably would have been pretty cool for his friends to pull open the door after listening to the sounds outside for a few minutes and feeling rather awestruck by it all if they hadn't come in to find him laying upside down on his desk with a comically thoughtful look on his face.

Yep, boredom was a very interesting thing.

* * *

><p>Piranhas:<p>

Why had he come out onto these docks again? Rin was considering the safety of such an action as the wood beneath him creaked and groaned and threatened to chuck him off its already rotting surface. He couldn't see the Come Carnes in the beautifully, clear blue waters but he could see the ripples the invisible carnivores created and he scowled at them.

The head of the inn, a man named Shunji, was sure to tell the exwires he hired to clean the building of the various demons that were currently causing him so much trouble that the waters were just _teeming_ with them. Being sure that they wouldn't go swimming in it by explaining to them that people had been eaten by these demon fish in 0.10 milliseconds, and to prove his point he proceeded to show them a picture of a man who'd been eaten, flesh picked off his bones as the remaining carcass flails in the current. On top of this the man said that _no one _even knew what they looked like because no one ever survived an attack, not even the best of exorcists can kill them. Hell, he'd seen high ranking _demons_ wander into those waters and not come back out- that's how insanely dangerous these things were.

Shima purely refused to go near the waters now, all energy he'd previously had vanished the moment he heard about the mock piranhas. Even Izumo had given a slight shudder. Shura had of course looked to Rin and asked with a snide grin;

"Sounds like a good place ta train, right Rin?" He immediately objected, thankful that this time he had his little brother to back him up. Not that that could prevent her from finding far more dangerous places to train him anyway. Speaking of that skinny-ass innkeeper, what was it he had him out here for again?

Oh yeah, the bucket at the end of the docks. It had come to Rin's attention that the stubby, brown haired individual was rather forgetful at times, he'd only been at this inn a day now and already the man had forgotten thirteen unnamable things. Unnamable things like going to the grocery store, washing his dog, cleaning the windows, telling Rin where the hell the damn mop was and then apparently leaving a bucket out at the very end of a dock that no one in their right mind would venture out onto because it was surrounded by _hideous, man-eating, fucking **piranhas**._

"I swear this man is more dangerous than the demons in his house!" he mumbled under his breath, trying to keep himself balanced as he approached the end. Behind him Shiemi and Konekomaru both waited patiently for him to gather up the bucket, their bodies tense with apprehension as he wobbled and stumbled. Shiemi called his name anxiously when he almost fell in but he managed to right himself with the help of his tail.

Giving her the thumbs up he continued on and eventually reached the bucket at the end, sighing in relief as he wrapped his fingers around the smooth, cold, wet surface. The tension in the air released like a broken damn but it was cut short when a mocking call from close on the shore broke through the loose silence.

"Don't fall in, ya blue monkey!" Bon called, meaning only to be joking and not realizing that Rin hadn't seen him arrive at all.

0.10 milliseconds

Rin didn't even have time to yell an angry, "you ass!" at Bon before something flew out of the water, wrapped around his leg and pulled him in.

0.27 milliseconds

A blue sky, speckled with white clouds meshed together with bleached sand and cerulean waters all blurred into one as he was dragged into the dangerous waters, given no time to so much as open his mouth to cry out in alarm before he was taken deep beneath.

0.39 milliseconds

Suddenly, he was looking up at a series of large, bug-eyed, sennari gourd shaped fish with long, stringy fins.

0.42 milliseconds

Their razor sharp teeth spun with joy upon seeing their next meal and Rin no longer cared about what the supposedly invisible demons looked like, his own eyes growing just as large as theirs.

0.47 milliseconds

To Rin it seemed as though time itself had stopped for him, the prehistoric-like fish twisting towards him at an alarming rate and making the water around him writhe.

0.48 milliseconds

His pupils dilated as a feeling of terror engulfed him. But then, suddenly, it was replaced with the overwhelming element of irritation, an unexpected thought heating within his mind.

_How dare such scum bare their teeth at me_, he'd later assume, with a shiver, that the voice had been from the part of his mind that took over when his flames became too much for him to control and would wonder if maybe it was possible for two completely different personalities be sharing the same body. But now, all he cared about was the army of demons headed his way ready to eat him within the time span of less than ten milliseconds.

0.49 milliseconds

It was him or them, survival was all that mattered in those moments.

0.50 milliseconds

The blue waters around him turned a bubbly white as he released his flames in explosive amounts. They pushed viciously through the heavy water and brought the hungry fish around him into little miniature explosions of air and blood. Rin had no idea that he was being pushed towards the surface until he felt himself break through the water even as it rose from the sudden, powerful burst of flame, raining down on the dock and surrounding water. Still flaming he found himself landing perfectly back on the unstable wood, panting and looking incredibly stunned.

Face pale and open, eyes wide, mouth gaping, he felt himself over as Bon, Konekomaru, and Shiemi came running up to him. Patting his head, shoulders, stomach, and pressing a hand into his sternum with the other still on his head he turned back to the still calming waters and, out of breath, whispered; "_holy shit_." He was so unnerved by the close encounter his voice came out as a relieved chuckle that in no way matched his expression- well aside from the small, anxious smile on his face.

"Am I the _only _one who can see those things?" he sputtered before any of them could ask him if he was ok.

"Son of a bitch, who cares about what they look like?" Bon cursed, honestly worried about the idiot. Shiemi was already examining him with a careful eye when Konekomaru spoke up.

"Are you alright, Okumura-san?" it seemed that Rin wasn't the only one afraid of getting eaten alive in the time span of a few sparse seconds. Or maybe they were just afraid because the previously crystal clear waters were now a grotesque and foggy crimson and after one little sniff Rin immediately knew that it was all human blood.

Sticking out his tongue and gagging he shook his head rapidly, attempting to dislodge the unnerving thoughts within. Despite the fact that they were _still_ on uncertain ground Bon moved to thwack him upside the head as he still hadn't said if whether or not he was ok. He never got the chance to make contact however as Rin, still feeling the rush of his flames ducked beneath the blow and almost made the other fall into the no longer pristine waters.

Stumbling Bon tipped forward, face a good foot or two away from the water as he titled towards the red depths close enough to almost see the flickering remains beneath.

Rin reached out and grabbed him, swiftly pulling his comrade back onto the docks with the help of Konekomaru.

"I think it's time we just get off the docks now," screw the fucking bucket there was no way in hell Rin was going back out there to get the thing now being dragged down into the water by the angry fish.

"This place is dangerous," Konekomaru commented quietly.

* * *

><p><strong>Come Carne: Flesh eater in SPANISH :D Woohoo!<strong>

**Also, I'm still trying to figure out if I will or won't write about Rin's little forced concert. If I do I'll have to incorporate it with this forgetful Shunji guy. Anyway, I'm glad I got this done. I was a little worried at first that it may be too short but with both chappies in one it works out**

**As for the milliseconds in here, I know that it may seem like I overdid it with that but that's everything from RIN's perspective- slowed down too. For Bon and the others it would look as though one second he's on the dock, the next he's falling neatly back onto it after the water behind him EXPLODED. ._.**


	34. The Dark Swarms

***long winded sigh* I think I'm gonna have to give myself a break from today forward to the end of summer. I know it sucks but ya guys gotta have a bit of mercy on me here, I cant keep this up forever and if I stay like this there's a very high chance that I wont EVER come back because I'll get bored with it. Dun go pushing the hand that feeds, k?**

The Dark Swarms:

"What the hell is going on here?" Bon barked from a few feet away, frame cast in unlit shadows.

"How should I know?" Rin barked back, pressing himself harder against the door to keep the suddenly appeared mass of lower class demons at bay.

"You never said there were so many!" Izumo scolded Shunji who seemed to suddenly sit up straighter, as though he just remembered something.

"Ah, that's right. I forgot," He said blatantly.

Rin released an aggravated groan and whipped his head around to glare at the individual, "what _else_ have you forgotten to tell us about, ya damn geezer?" Screw being polite this guy deserved whatever came to him for all of this. Seriously, earlier that same day (or was it yesterday now?) he was nearly eaten alive by a massive swarm of mock piranhas! Couldn't he at least get a nights rest before life started to hurl obscenities at him again? He'd almost accomplished that before an overwhelming sense of _wrong _filled his body, forcing him to leap up and nearly collide with Shima who was just returning from a bathroom break. His actions had roused the rest of the boys sharing the room- namely Bon, Shima, and Konekomaru. They'd followed him out into the hall where he'd come face to face with a herd of various lower class and middle-lower class demons as they rapidly neared the group of stunned individuals. There wasn't much hope of holding them all off for just the three and so they'd taken off towards the girls' room. On the way they'd happened across Shunji standing awkwardly in the hall wondering what had happened to the power so Bon had had to grab him and toss him into the female's quarters, surprised to see them all already awake and well aware of the situation.

Since Rin was the strongest he was given the task of holding the door closed as they all knew the charms they'd placed wouldn't be able to last against such an enormous crowd for long.

Shunji looked at him and said with a completely straight face, "yeah; I asked your brother to go and get something for me about fifteen minutes ago so he won't be back for another hour and a half."

"_What?_" Rin was not at all pleased with this dimwitted boulder-for-brains and the momentary distraction had him tipping forward when a particularly energetic demon thundered into the door. Irritated, Rin slammed himself back into the door and bounced whatever creature it was ramming itself against it back. He was just about to ask the other what the hell he had his brother getting but was interrupted when Shura broke through his irritation.

"Moreover," she began, hiding a snicker at his obvious aggravation, "what do yew guys have planned to do about this?"

"The least you could do is _help_," Izumo muttered.

"Nah," the red headed teacher scoffed, leaning back and giving them a vixen grin, "this is your mission not mine, after all." Rin knew why she wasn't worried about it; the demons outside were all lower classes and none of them posed any threat to her. If things got out of control she could easily clean things up. But then again, he might be able to too since she'd had him face much more difficult things before.

"Wait a minute! Did you set this up?" Rin sputtered, horrified at the idea. His suggestion elicited various 'eh?'s and other such expressions of surprise at the thought. Would their teacher seriously bring this many demons out for her students to take out?

Ah, bad question, Shura definitely would do that. That's why it was so scary an idea, it was far too possible.

"Mr. Shunji-san," Shiemi began politely, "is it normal for this many demons to attack you at night? Do you have some safe place for us to stay at?"

The other man sat there looking confused for about a minute before saying slowly, "I don't know."

A series of shouts and groans filled the room.

"This guy has seriously got some sorta brain damage!" Shima cried, falling onto his back with a sound of aggravation.

"So you did cause this then," Rin growled towards Shura, knowing full well that she was the most likely the result of the recent situation.

A vixen smirk crossed her face and she stood to shamble over to him," mmm, nope~! But yewr right, yew could use the training. It's been a while since I pushed yew out into a throng of demons~"

Back when Shura was first training Rin she'd had a tendency to throw him into little swarms of lower class demons not unlike the one outside. Thinking about the way things were now nothing much had changed aside from the fact the demons he was being fed to were just of a higher status and a lot more powerful.

Before Rin could do much more than grunt a surprised objection she'd ripped him away from the door, removed the seal keeping it safely locked and then thrown him out into the hoard, closing the door behind him as she went.

"Dammit!" he cursed at her and jumped away from the grabbing claws, releasing a wall of flame at the creatures and turning a good half of the swarm to dust in that single motion.

A bird-like creature similar in appearance to a Tengu flew overhead and Rin, having drawn the Kurikara, leapt to slash it down. While in the air a foolish low class made a frantic grab for his tail, not expecting the violent response that sent it slamming into the closed door. Upon landing he swept one leg in a 360 degree circle around him to dislodge and set fire to those surrounding. Lifting himself back up he breathed a contained wall of flame into four others, twisted his elbow upwards and slashed back and diagonally up across a rearing hobgoblin. It was just as the ground beneath him began to give a slight tremor that the door once again flew open and the three arias in training could be seen kneeling and chanting a sutra he didn't recognize. Leaping back he dodged both the sutra and the death worm- seriously, why was that thing here? Wasn't it supposed to be indigenous to deserts? Grabbing the worm as it passed over his shoulder he spread his flames over it's body and watched from the corner of his eye as Izumo's byakko leapt into action as well.

With the help of his friends it took less than a minute to rid themselves of the rest of the chaos causing demons.

When it was all over and done Rin straightened to survey the damage and let out a breezy, "huh," as though he didn't quite believe that he had been the one to defeat over half of these things in such a short amount of time.

Ok, so maybe Shura's training did help him.

* * *

><p><strong>MMMMMM, *stretches* hookay, so I know you guys aren't gunna be happy about this but I think it's time that damn 'hiatus' sign comes back out. (metaphorically speaking, of course) I was going over this chapter just now and it ended up taking me a good two hours maybe more to complete it. I was pretty bored ^ ^; it's hard to believe that that can happen, I know, but I'm also sorta half asleep. I can't keep up this pace anymore, need a couple weeks to give myself a break X<strong>

**I am truly sorry that I have to do this to you guys and I hope I can return again before the end of summer. Just give me some time and I'll return for sure At the TOP longest, and I mean the TOP it'll take me a year to get back. In actuality it will probably take me a lot less. And anyway, I'll likely have more brain blurbs to show all of you as time passes. Whether or not this is the last chappy until then I cannot say cause I still have ideas that I haven't used ye that may or may not get written. **

**:D Thank you so much to all of you who have enjoyed reading this just as much as I have enjoyed typing it! And thanks to all of you reviewers! I hope we can have more fun again soon~**

**Have wonderful summers!**

* * *

><p><strong>REVIEWS:<strong>

**PINKhairedBADASS:** Bahahaha, good job XD Awww, Belgium has a similar climate to the one I live in so I can feel your pain there I hate cloudy skies. Sun-lovaaahhs~! And yay, you know where the review page is :D Im a little confused as to why people can't find it XD That's why for this chappy I'm going for the old fashioned way. And thank you, I'm glad you like them. Though this one is likely to be a bit holey cause im tired as hell and was half asleep when I reviewed it. XD and its totally 4:39 In the afternoon. XD

**Guest: **Oh, I can make that fear escalate. Ever played Amnesia? XD If I wasn't so tired I'd write a short on that~ Too bad I couldn't get to the loads of scary stories I wanted to write, oh well, ill just get to them at the end of summer.

**Imnotcommonsensessmart:** (chapter 1) Thank you Ah, now I feel guilty XD I love to post as many ideas as I can but lately its become a tad boring. My ideas haven't thrilled me as much as I'd like them to and I think today was the final crash. DX It sucks but good things never last. I'll be sure to come back before the summer ends though Or, try to DX Anyway, I'm happy to hear that you like it thus far and I look forward to writing again in the future

**RayChaell Dionzeros: **Whooop! :D

**Hartanna: **Fiiiisshhhiieeesss~ I wonder if they're edible… Bahaha, don't worry about it, that's partly why I'm posting the replies on this chappy here ;)

**DebbieKun3: **Hell yeah! XD Im not entirely sure either, actually. I will open a store for him to go and buy one at *sarcasm plz* XD XD I think people just need stop abusing it.

**Guest: **SHHHHH (yes, yes it is. I'll fix that XD) :D Thank you, I'm glad you like!

**Guest:** pfahaha, whoooo animal planet :D


	35. Warding Page

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Warding Page:

It was seriously just one of those kinds of days for Rin this time around. The kind where you wake up and every small thing ticks you off, but then bigger things start ticking you off more and _more_. As he trudged along the vine infected path at the end of the little troop-group that Yukio was currently leading he let himself marinate in silent irritation.

He'd woken up at a lovely 4:38 in the morning, hadn't been able to get back to sleep, and lay counting invisa-sheep for the better part of thirty-eight minutes before crawling out of bed and gathering up his clothes. While in the shower he'd slipped on a bar of soap, found out there was no shampoo left and had to rinse the bottle clean just to scrape out the leftovers. He'd gotten out to realize he had all articles of clothing _but_ his underwear and had to trudge back into the room he shared with Yukio- who was still asleep- and very meticulously find a new pair, making a side note to maybe clean his half of the room later.

Maybe.

From there he'd finished up in the bathroom and made his way downstairs to work on making breakfast. Such a desire turned out not to be an acceptable expectation as there was almost nothing left in the fridge. Most of it had probably been used up over the course of the week the other exwires had stayed in the dorms and Rin would later blame Bon for eating the fridge dry.

In any case it was 6:45 in the morning and the eldest Okumura was certain that none of the stores would be open at such an ungodly hour. That left him with sitting at one of the tables with Kuro and Ukobach in company and wondering what the hell he was supposed to do.

_Well,_ there was always theft but he was pretty sure that remained as an activity that was highly frowned upon.

And of course during this time Kuro, being the feline that he was, caught a glimpse of Rin's tail dodging back and forth and due to the qualities of his nature had made an instinctive lunge for it. If Ukobach hadn't pulled him back in time Rin feared that he might have actually hurt the demon. His own irritation was displayed by the things frantic movements and that meant that, under the right conditions it could throw a temper tantrum and lash out at all those who dared to near it. It was a little like trying to control your thoughts, you can tell yourself to stop thinking but you'll still continue to do so. You can tell yourself you're not angry but you still are- if not more so by that single thought. So controlling his tail was a little bit tricky- if not completely impossible.

Anyway, moving on with his morning Yukio had abruptly dragged him out of the dorms at around 7:30 with the brief and rather vague explanation that both he and the other exwires were needed on a mission that would have them killing off a Daitengu. They'd all be staying at a church whose name Rin had forgotten in a forest of he-really-didn't-give-a-fuck about.

Shura had skipped out on training with some sort of lame excuse he hadn't bothered focus on and due to Yukio's lack of anticipation towards breakfast problems the two had had to eat crappy-on-the-go kind of food.

How appetizing. (The less said about that food the better)

Apparently Rin hadn't originally been scheduled to go on this trip but Mephisto had decided to pull a fast one on the brothers last second. And when it is said "last second" it truly was the last second. Yukio had just finished packing a small bag for the night he'd be staying at this church when he'd received the call to bring Rin along. And so the other had flown downstairs, ordered him to pack a bag and then asked about breakfast _as they were leaving._

Rin knew his brother already comprehended the answer for that and was just asking to make sure that, yes there wasn't anything to cook with and they'd have to go shopping once they returned but it still ticked him off.

The only good thing that had happened so far that day was his friends' consideration over his situation. He probably had that kind of I'm-gunna-snap-if-you-pronounce-your-next-vowel-wr ong look and displayed a kind of air that professionally reeked death threats. Bon had of course asked in a teasing way why he was so demonic that morning and Rin had simply turned his fury filled gaze on the other and ground out three simple words.

"Fucking shitty day."

He didn't care if it was Konekomaru, Shima, or hell even Yukio that expressed the need to leave him to cool off he was just glad that no one bothered him again after that.

The bus- that had been late- could not take them to the door step of this out of the way Church and had kindly dropped them all off six miles away from it beside a slender and unmaintained trail.

And so began the battle to their destination. It was 12:23 and Rin had been pushing through vines, weaving around nettles, and scaling fallen trees for the better part of two and a half hours until _finally_ the damn church came within sight.

The building was painted a crisp and fading grey-blue color and it stood tall with a remarkably used looking drive way that probably led to the road they'd just been told didn't connect to the church at all. It was about three stories and the architecture was so dull and original Rin felt like puking on it.

"Ah," Shima moaned in relief, "we're finally here!"

"I can't wait to take a bath, I'm covered in sweat and bug bites," came Izumo's agreement.

Shiemi looked a little torn and surprised at the realization that she could have gotten some herbs for bug repellent from Nii-chan once those words had been spoken.

"Quit your whining it was only 6 miles," Bon reprimanded gruffly.

"6 miles in this heat, in these clothes? I've got god knows how many blisters on my feet now thanks to these damn dress shoes!" Kamiki snapped.

Rin fell into ignoring the argument and turned his gaze to peer at the blue skies peeking through the branches. It was in that moment, as the rest of his friends stepped onto more maintained land and left the wild ferns and uncontrolled brambles that he noticed something. Something that was most likely causing that nauseous feeling to crawl through the pit of his stomach.

Stopping about a foot short of the church's lawn he glowered at Yukio's head and slumped his shoulders, waiting. Noticing his brother's absence a few moments later the brown haired individual turned to see him static on the trail he'd just stepped off of.

"Rin?" Shiemi asked with little hints of confusion and concern in her voice.

"Oi, Yukio, what kind of scenery does this church live with?" the blue haired exwire asked dully.

His younger brother raised an inquisitive eyebrow and opened his mouth to ask his elder what he was talking about when the teen raised a hand and flicked a finger to the sky, expression comically deadpan. Following his brother's gesture Yukio noticed an extraordinarily well hidden warding seal placed on a tree branch.

He'd been sure to tell the exwires that the church was in a forest where demons of all levels were rather common and to stay on the trail but it had escaped his mind that the priests living in this church could put up such well hidden wards around it.

"How the hell did you even see that!" Bon demanded.

"He probably sensed it, since he is a demon as well after all," Konekomaru answered for him.

After that came the arduous task of stripping the thing down, placing it back and then coming up with an excuse for the priests who were very much uninformed of Rin's true identity. The guys had some kind of creepy sixth sense for the damn wards, always knowing if one was taken down or in some way touched.

Rin also came to realize the reason he hadn't first been assigned to go on this mission;

The church was a friggn' death trap.

There were wards of all kinds everywhere. Things like salt and holy water lined window sills, doors, even parts of the rafters in the dining hall. A lot of them didn't obviously affect Rin but some of them made him uncomfortable to irritating extents. Like someone poking your shoulder kind of irritating.

Needless to say that night he fell asleep after a nightmarish tour through the building within the time span of about five seconds.

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><p><strong>Ahh Rin, life. That's all I can say; life.<strong>

**._.**

**Happy?**

**I have two others that I'll post at some point- little brain burps if you will. They'll get up eventually, before the end of next month, so don't fret. **

**(I've got other stories too you know guys. Though, the only one I'd say you should read at this point would be the one called Etherion TT-TT)**

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><p><strong>Reviews: <strong>

**Hartanna: **Oh thank you so much for being understanding Here is a brain fart as a reward ^ ^ Wow, that's one of the most relieving reviews I think you could give me :D Thank you! And I will, summer is the best time for this kind of thing cause I actually have time to write things like what's below (is totally ignoring the fact that the entirety this next week is booked full of things) I look forward to really coming back though

**Raychaell Dionzeros: **Hahaha, it loves you too~! And I'll try to keep you with snacks to chew on- like what's below- in the meantime. Hopefully everyone's in character.

**Guest: **yay! My hard work pays off :D ^ ^ I'm glad you enjoyed them. Hehe, good to hear, though I kinda wish I coulda described the beach a little more. Couldn't find enough room to talk about how pure it looked. (in other words: I forgot to)

**Lexi: ***looks up* you signed in and posted a review as a Guest. XD Your fine, don't worry about it. Multiple people have done the same thing too

**Carolnuts: **Hahaha, that's what this break is for. *leans back and sighs in relief with my feet propped up on the table.* I think I heard from a friend that there are people who want to make chocolate illegal .o. *face palm* goddammit, why do I keep doing that?

**Guest: **^ ^ I'm glad you enjoy it so much

**Guest:** XD I'm sure Bon wants to hit him with a baseball bat at this point xD *bows* thanks, I'm glad you like it ^ ^ It's kinda freaky out there with all that inscest o.o" *looks at the little 'signature' at the bottom* TheCresantMoonWolf, you forgot to log in. XD

**FD: **^ ^ Thank you for reviewing and I'm happy to see you enjoy it

**Animeangel2798: ***flees quickly and takes refuge in a closet* how the hell did that big "NO" startle me into skipping a few heartbeats. O.O Hopefully this little brain fart is satisfying ^ ^;

**Sarah:** Don't worry, this time it won't be too long. I hope to come back sometime next month, but I can't promise that I'll be able to upload as many stories then as I did this time. So don't cry, it won't take too long

**Cookizilla:** thank you I hope you like the brain blurp and I hope to return soon.

**Guest:** I think that boredom might get dangerous to a certain extent where Rin's concerned. XD

**Isthisparadise: **Thank you I am pleased to see that you enjoyed them

**GGCharms: **(Chapter 34) Hahaha, I NEVER get bored so when it comes to that kind of thing I'm a little iffy. Glad I got it down pretty good though, courtesy of my friends always complaining about boredom. WHOO! Nice that it had the effect it was meant to~ Review Page: People are surprisingly oblivious, aren't they? (Chapter 35) Hahaha, I love how easy going you are about it. I've had people begging me to stay o.O (why I haven't checked reviews until now) Thanks for being understanding and not flipping shit ^ ^

**Elusive Panther: ***hides in the closet* ….*slowly peaks out* ^ ^ I'm glad that it's such a nice thing for you to read from. Sorry I haven't been able to write and if it helps any your more than welcome to toss little ideas for a next chappy you may have over a PM message I hope this chapter is just as satisfying as all the others

**PINKhairedBADASS: **I know how you feel XD Hell, I want go to the Galapagos Islands! Ahahahahaha, I have taken your MIIINDDD! *cue evil laugh and dramatic lightening*

**An-chan95: **X) I'm glad you've enjoyed the chapter and hope this one works too. I think I sent you a PM about this too, something about how I wanted to start it today and fin tomorrow, I lied. I started and fined today XD Ahh, thank you that's a very nice thing to say. Helps me to relax more I'll help the survival thing by posting brain farts too~ You are welcome, and thanks for the review~

**TheodoraTalon: **I loved writing that one because of it. Dunno why but I really like things involving river monsters and giant squid and the like. It's just fascinating OxO Hehehe, Piranhas are great for using with suspence, the damn things are feaky lookin. Even if in real life they're not as vicious as everyone makes them out to be (why I made the invisa-Piranhas in this one violent and freaky) My fingers sometimes go too fast over the keyboard, on more than one occasion thy get tangled and mangle up all the words XD (not literally of course) Bahaha, I'm the type that does that. Sad to say I haven't met anyone else here on fanfiction that is as well though

**DebbieKun3: **(Chapter 25) I should have Shima talk to him about it XD That was make an interesting conversation XD I think I cant NOT abuse the poor guy in some form. It's amusing .x. (Chapter 26) *fist pumps the air* Hoo yeah! Glad you liked, I had to have back up with that monster chappy it was so large. Ten pages, probably my biggest, most elaborate one yet XD


	36. Undead

**The reviews are in space.**

***YAAAAWWWNNN*bies (Zombies)**

**Ok srsly, writing stories about zombies is AWESOME. I love it, though for those of you who are squeamish:**

**WARNING: Chapter contains descriptive illustrations of mature gore and inappropriate use of language. Be warned. (srsly, I've rated this chapter M. It's nothing like all the other chapters you've read so far. If your squeamish don't read)**

**I've watched nothing but zombie movies this summer~ **

**Dawn of the dead**

**Shawn of the Dead**

**Night of the living dead (the original)~ **

**Etc, etc**

**Disclaimer: I own all the zombies. They come from my garage labs. **

Undead:

Deadpuppies ._.

**END**

…**.**

**Yeah, I seriously just did that. **


	37. Nightmare Field Trip

**Whhaaaaat?**

**Ok, fine:**

There were times when Rin Okumura seriously thought that there was some higher power existing for the sole purpose of screwing with him, aligning specific and seemingly unconnected details to later push over and create a domino effect. The present situation was just such an occasion, what with Mephisto deciding that the class of exwires could use a little bit of hands-on experience with some really freaky demons and assigning them to accompany Shura and himself on one of their various excursions, or as Shura liked to call them; NTT (Nightmare Training Trips).

It seemed to Rin that she referred to them a little bit too excitedly.

At the current moment she had them in a protective circle outside of some unnamed haunted building only recently discovered by a couple of middle-upper class exorcists. Or, at least that's what he was told.

Due to the unknown nature of the building she sent Rin on ahead and had them stay behind, assuring them that the eldest Okumura would be just fine. The original idea was to have a video camera attached to his coat so they could see what kind of things he was facing but he forgot it was there and ended up burning it off on accident shortly after facing his first opponent. That aside, Rin had found that this old, out of place hotel only carried a few nightmarish demons in it.

This fact brought him to wonder why Shura wasn't allowing the other exwires to come in. Then again, didn't she say that she had some sort of lesson to give them out there?

Shaking off the peculiarities of it all he returned his attention to task at hand.

The old, forgotten hallway stretched out before him with its walls and thin carpet flooring smeared with red. So far he'd only met a sparse few of, maybe 3 and a half, creatures from the middle-lower class spectrum and had easily taken them out. Still, he'd been given an emergency phone just in case something happened- as they always seemed to- and it weighed down almost reassuringly in his pocket.

Everything about this place screamed; I'm unnatural, be very, very suspicious or I'll find a way to throw you into the darkest pits of Satan's dinner. Both inside the building and out.

His tail swept the dusty air behind him in search of some kind of demon- the demon that he knew was there as it was the last one to remain. Rin hadn't yet realized just how much of his senses he had on the alert, his instincts shoving his carelessness away and replacing it with meticulous attention as he froze beside a room marked as 3489. There were bloody claw marks trailing down its center and what appeared to be bullet holes sprinkled the rotting wood.

Something was moving behind the door.

He searched his instincts and found what almost felt like a piece of the creature he was so searching for on the other side of the door. Raising his blue-black tail behind him he reached forward to grab the handle, ears picking up the sound of what he thought sounded like moaning as he did.

Rin wouldn't be able to explain why even if God begged him to, but for some reason he could feel his own pulse pick up rapidly, something screaming at him to back away from that door like it held some sort of plague.

Opening the door would be like inviting in Death for tea.

But his stupid, stupid human-self ignored the sense and grabbed the fucking handle regardless. The inner demon was left aside, foolish human pride spitting at its careful warning and pulling open its demise.

The eldest Okumura barely even inched the door open before it blasted off its hinges and a figure lunged at him.

"W-What the hell?!" he grunted, attempting to push it away with the still unfortunately sheathed Kurikara as dark spittle sprayed from it's open mouth. The scent of decaying flesh hit his nose hard and the blue-black haired individual almost gagged. "Fucking back off, dammit!" he heaved the creature aside violently and ripped his blade out of its sheath, brandishing his weapon before the new enemy.

Upon seeing said enemy, however, Okumura Rin froze. The eldest of two brothers was given three seconds to properly see his opponent, lit by the blue flames. Flesh ripped and torn just as much as its clothes, body malnourished and bones jutting out of its grayed skin. Sightless eyes widened at the 'view' of light, sensing the presence of a thing far more threatening then it's usual meal. A crooked jaw with skin ripped and frayed, presenting gnarly green and yellow teeth covered in dark slimy saliva that oozed out between it's broken lips. It's frame was twisted and gnarled with pink-ish entrails hanging out from its belly and gleaming grotesquely in the light of his flames. From out of Rin's jaws his breath came white and visible in the suddenly much colder atmosphere.

Eyebrows shooting up Rin inwardly cursed, his senses spreading and coming to the horrifying conclusion that there were plenty more of these things. His normally oh so vacant mind flew a hundred beats per minute, the demon in him shoving his human thoughts aside and making calculations he would have disregarded entirely before.

Hello survival at any cost, welcome to hell. Everything here wants to kill you.

His body was turning before he could process what he was doing, the creature behind him letting out a bubbly snarl and scrabbling over broken glass as it shot after him with broken arms outstretched.

_A zombie?!_ He grit his teeth, eyes darting to the humanoid figure sprinting after him down the hall. _Maybe, but then why do I sense a demon in it? Is it a demon- no, it doesn't feel like it. Maybe it's a human being possessed? If that's the case then I can't kill it, fuck! _Focusing his attention back to the front he let out a surprised curse and leapt into the air, smashing a sneaker into the face of a Chinese business man without a nose and bearing a mashed up eyeball. A horrid stench wafted into his nose and the strength of the rotting smell made him gag- very nearly puking. He began to notice that the more he ran the larger the population of undead became.

He needed to call Shura. Cursing again he blew through a door at the end of the hall, above it read a sign; "Stairs." _I need to get to ground level_, his instincts told him. However, the second he opened the door and stood at the top of the stairs, throwing it closed behind him, he came to another not-so-awesome sight.

A sea of zombies occupied just about every step beneath him and more. In the few moments he had before they processed the arrival of a new living being the teen let his arms drop to his sides, lift his head to the lights above and release a groan not unlike their own.

"Oh, _come __**on**_!" And cue the chase scene to the roof.

Rin was propelling himself up three steps at a time, panting and growling in response to the angry snarls beneath. His demon tongue only seemed to fuel their efforts and that just ignited a fire between the demons.

If they didn't respond to the orders of a higher up then so be it, more fun for Rin. But wait, he couldn't kill these things if he didn't know their place along the chain of what was ok and what was not ok to kill. What if they really were people? He glanced down again and came to see the bloodied faces following him. Red caked mouths open and eager. Out of one he could see what almost appeared to be the remains of a person's arteries dangling down the thing's jaws and bobbing back and forth. Disgusted he turned away.

His attempts at figuring out whether or not these things were being possessed bore no result and he only found himself even more confused. When he looked at each zombie, foaming and racing after him with his 'demon-radar' he found that his body sensed them as individual demons. But when he broadened that to the others as a whole his senses told him that they were all one demon.

Thoroughly miffed the young teen ripped his cell out of his pocked and dialed Shura's number just as he kicked down the door to the roof. In the time it took the red haired woman to answer the phone he had managed to get to the other side of the building and leap onto some kind elevated air conditioning thing similar to the one he'd sit on back at the dorms he shared with Yukio.

"Yew finished up yet? I'm all outta useless information to give these guys," came Shura's easy going drawl.

Rin heard Bon yelp '_I knew it_!' in the background but he ignored it and instead focused his attention on the city-sized hoard that had followed him onto the roof.

"Do zombies count as demons?" he asked bluntly, tail sitting stalk straight behind him in a mixture of irritation and vigilance.

"Nope~!"

He hesitated before asking slowly, "are you sure?"

"Well, speaking in bullshit terms there's a virus that kills a person and then uses their corpse to eat people and spread it around," she told him. (1) "But actual zombies don't even exist, they just don't work."

"_So the virus itself is the demon?_" Izumo's voice sounded over the receiver and he realized that his teacher must have set the phone on speaker.

"Bingo!" Shura's response was almost completely drowned out by the over-eager yelp of a nearby school-girl. Reminded of Emily Rin cringed and scooted back a bit.

"_So what's the deal, stupid-blue-bouncy-ball_?" Bon asked.

"Heh?" Rin was still out of breath from his run, "what's that supposed to mean, Cookoo-gorilla?" Bon must have replied in some fashion but Rin wasn't given the chance to hear it as a creature from the undead hoard thrust itself forwards and caught a finger on his shoe lace, dragging him down towards the hoard.

A very real fear coursed through Rin's veins in that brief moment and he sputtered out a surprised curse, dropping his phone in the process. In an instinctive move to protect himself his body released uncontrolled flames, the blue glow lighting up the sky and spilling over the rooftop. The fire flew over the stumbling creatures, burning the ones closest to him and spreading to the others rapidly. They shrieked and pushed forwards farther, intent on grabbing his legs and digging their teeth into him.

It was like if a pack of wolves and a Tiger went head to head, both of them knew that they were facing a tough opponent and understood that they'd have to be taken down quickly.

Cold fingers wrapped around his ankles and pulled him down. Rin was given no other choice than to watch a fast-food attendant lung forwards with its jaws open in readiness to take a chunk out of his exposed ankle as the various hands clawed his legs and dragged him downwards. They were feral and rabid, strong hands ripping into his uniform pants and bringing a sound of tearing fabric to his ears as they laid bare more of his healthy pink flesh to eat.

Inspiration picks the most inconvenient of times to hit him.

Rin's blue flames hit the air explosively. A mass of fiery death sweeping through the crowd before him and bringing the mass to ashes in a mere instant.

But the eldest Okumura didn't leave the task done at that, didn't take the time to recover himself and instead simply plucked his phone from where he'd dropped it on his previous island and brought it to his ear.

"Shura, keep everyone inside that protective circle. Make sure they don't go anywhere near the lines. That means sit and stay and sorry but I don't have the time to spell it out for you, Bonables," without another word he flipped the phone closed and shoved it in his pocket.

The air whipped his clothing around like it was no firmer than paper as he hurled himself off the building, feet held out and ready to touch down. The teen's pants, ripped from about six inches below the knee down to his ankles flapped wildly in the wind as he fell. He could smell the scents of each zombie as they came crashing out of various windows after him, eager to eat.

With a burst of flame he softened his landing, rolled over a shoulder, and then proceeded to sprint around the building to wait for the remaining masses. They were lured out by his flames before, none of them showing their hideous faces until after he drew his sword and allowed the blue fire to spill out of his body.

Rin knew that the front of the building was also where Shura and the rest of the exwires had set up but felt he had no other choice this time around. It was here that biggest of the windows had been placed and it was be easier to attack from there, where most of the space was. He came barreling around the corner full speed ahead and once he reached a good enough distance, whirled around and released an explosive ball of flame that ended up swallowing and incinerating the chasing creatures.

Standing several feet in front of his comrades he widened his stance, tail held out in the air behind him. The limb stood on end reading frequencies in the air that Rin simply couldn't hope to put into words. He spread his flames out and used them as a lure for his enemies even as the ground beneath his feet trembled and the air around him crackled and spat with sparks.

About 25 left.

"Rin-!" a voice that sounded a lot like Sheimi broke over the soundless cobble court yard.

She must have seen the zombies come sprinting out of the building, gurgling and snarling. Rin gave them no more than five seconds to get closer before he tore through them. One reached for him but before it could grab him he sliced off it's arm, bent downwards as he turned, and scooped up a thick piece of plywood from the ground. Coming back around in his 360 degree turn he smashed the wood across the creature's head- effectively killing it. From his left another zombie lunged but he bent backwards, avoiding its open jaws- grabbing it's collar and what remained of it's belt. He lifted it and hurled the creature into another of it's allies as it attacked from the right. He twisted 180 degrees to the left and stepped around the next zombie, slicing off its head as he passed. Jumping, he landed on the rotting shoulder of what may have once been a very respectable man, kicking it in the face as hard as he could with his other leg and then flipping over him. With one leg bent and the other outstretched he proceeded to kick another as he fell back to the ground. Cursing as he was almost bitten, Rin took a step to the side and pushed a hand into the offending zombie's chest where he allowed his flames to pour from his fingers and consume the creature. The flames spread to a few others, cutting through the dwindling population. Before Rin knew it he was alone in the courtyard, speckled with rotting blood and gore and standing battle ready with his tail out.

Panting he waited, eyes searching the building before him. Breathing a sigh he realized the air had lowered to a more natural temperature. Yet, he was not assured. Stepping forward, his feet crunched on the glass underfoot and his tail bobbed behind him, swinging back and forth. Blood rushed through his ears and the overwhelming smell of decay blinded his scent glands. Growling he shook his head to clear it, passing by an old fountain at the round-a-bout just before the building entrance.

"Oi, Rin!" a voice shouted to him just after he realized he was not alone.

Too late. The child leapt from the top of the fountain and wrapped her thin, yet startlingly strong arms around his neck, moving forwards to take a chunk from his neck.

"Shit," he cursed and plunged Kurikara's hilt into her mouth, breaking teeth and sending spittle flying everywhere. Still, she did not let go and merely bent sharply backwards before making a second attempt. Cursing again he dropped his blade and grabbed her shoulders. With a strong yank he pulled himself free of the child and hurled her through a broken window. Her inhuman screams cutting off into strange gurgles as she dissapeared into the dark. For a few tense moments there was nothing. Then, he froze as the sounds of bones snapping and flesh tearing, smacking lips and thirsty gulps reached his ears. A large shadow appeared at the door and Rin cringed when it came into focus; he could see the lower half of the child-zombie that had previously attacked him gripped in the goliath's chubby hand. It roared at him and the eldest Okumura felt tempted to roar back. Instead, he lifted his sword from the ground and settled into a ready stance, watching the creature eat for a few moments before shooting forwards and vanishing into the darkness. There was a flash of blue light and a dangerous pause followed by a wet_ thwack._ From where he stood in the shadows behind the monster-sized man Rin watched the severed head fly off to the side and waited for the body to follow.

Well, that was easy.

The almost too easy ending to his previously intense fight didn't feel right for the first few moments before he caught the sound of shuffling clothes, twigs snapping and leaves being pushed aside. Looking to his left he watched the hopeless creature slowly drag its body towards him.

He continued watching it for a few moments, amused by it's efforts before making his way towards it. When the creature raised an arm to grab him the blue-black haired individual stepped to the side and punted it directly in the chin. It let out a satisfying crunch before lighting into flame and joining its dead-again comrades.

Still, that was really easy.

He turned back around to meet his own comrades but found he couldn't discern if the expressions meeting him were disgusted, horrified, awed, or relieved- perhaps a mix of all four. No-one spoke a word.

Shura simply put a hand to her chin and muttered thoughtfully, "I was beginning to wonder why Mephisto recommended this place."

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><p><strong>Of course it would be so crazy, MEPHISTO recommended the place. *mumbles* and probably put it there too. And I know exactly how Rin feel's after a day of Training with Shura, I'm about to collapse myself right now too. Oh geeze, everything hurts *grumbles and rubs temples* Tomorrow is only going to be worse for me too XD<strong>

**So yeah, just so you know. I wrote this because I wanted to, not because I thought it was time to update but because I wanted to write about zombies and Rin. There may be parts that are out of character and there may not be, right now I just don't give a shit XD I had fun writing it and that's all that matters to me right now. Sorry, kiddos XD **

**Also, I wanted to highlight some of Rin's less human functions, not just his outward body features. What a better way to do that then use zombies?**

**(1) Shura means to say "theoretically speaking" She's just not that literate XD**

…**.I could have made this A LOT worse, this is still way less gruesome than what I'm capable of. Too bad I'm too tired to write anything properly freaky….*passess out*….**

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><p><strong>EDIT: ._. what the hell, Life? What the ACTUAL hell? *facepalm and sigh* ok. So you guys know how I promised to write again before the end of August? Yeah, nope! *steaming in irritation* It sucks cause I was REALLY looking forward to writing and I have some awesome ideas but like, for the end of the summer my schedule has become explosive. And I know it's not fair but I have two jobs, school coming up, and an endless list of things that need to get done that I COULD list off but then it would just sound like I'm coming up with excuses. I hardly even have the time for this much T-T So I'm really sorry guys, but I don't know WHEN I'll be able to pick up writing again. I may be able to post little things here and there for both Ao No Exorcist and maybe other animes but I won't promise anything. Lets all hope things even out quickly!<strong>


	38. Sleep, Hatchling

**Lets review: any kind of surgery is not fun ._. And yet, despite when people tell you that "you will be in such pain, you'll have to have someone looking after you all week!" I find myself the morning after my surgery busy in the kitchen making myself breakfast. .3. WELL! (I guess I have a pretty good pain tolerance?)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist **

Sleep, Hatchling:

Rin rolled onto his side lazily, curling up into a comfortable ball and ducking his head under the sheets with a repressed yawn. Damn, was he tired as _hell _today. He could hardly stay awake for a few minutes let alone get up and hobble into the kitchen to whip up some breakfast.

Was it even morning yet?

His tail moved out from under the thick covers and swished back and forth in the cool air, a soothing feeling to the exhausted demon-hybrid. Rin's blue eyes were barely even half open and he lifted his head a little to peak up at the window above him. He observed the stormy weather raging outside the hostel Mephisto had rented out for a few minutes, unable to discern where the sun was up and therefore what the exact time was. As per Shura's request the demon-principal had found an available hostel deep in the woods of some obscure, demon infested forest far north of True Cross Academy where she wanted to train Rin for a week or two. She said that she wanted to take him away from what he knew and put him in a dangerous area where he wasn't aware of every short-cut and hadn't already memorized all the demons in his local environment. Or, something like that. This also disregarding the fact that on previous excursions she had taken him from places such as the Gobi Desert to the Amazon Rainforest. Regardless, he was beginning to understand what she meant when just a few nights ago he'd woken up with a Gaki attempting to strangle him in his sleep. Shura hadn't been anywhere close to the scene until after he'd turned the greedy ghost to ash and when he'd expressed his animosity over her little vanishing act she'd shrugged, chugged a bit of Chuunai and slurred; "It's yar jub to lock ub wid seals bro, nah mine."

To make matters more pleasant for him, Yukio had decided to join the two of them for a few days to give the other exwires some good training and maybe, hopefully, give Rin a bit of a break. His elder brother had been stuck up here with Shura for a full week as it was, planning on staying for another before they packed up. So, deciding it to be for the best Yukio had taken permission from the headmaster and gathered up his class for a little field trip. This also meant, much to Shura's irritation, that she couldn't lure upper-class demons to the cabin in the middle of the night and instead had to use a key to train her student on the other side of the mountain.

Briefly, Rin wondered what had happened to Yukio. Then the curious thought disappeared a moment later and his head fell back to the pillow- and he didn't even want to think about where Shura was today. Yesterday he'd been training from 1:30 in the morning to 11 AM the next day without any break for food or water. He didn't even remember coming home, just blearily waking up once to find it raining coal tars again with some vague aftertaste of a meal he couldn't remember eating pouring over his tongue and then passing back out.

A small sigh escaped his jaws and with a blanket-wrapped fist, he rubbed his eye.

"Gah, geeze," he mutter-hissed, stretching a little and listening to the satisfying sound of bones snapping. Behind him, his tail stuck straight out and quivered a bit, little bits of flame jumping off the appendage and swirling around with a few sparks. Twisting around a little Rin looked at the appendage curiously- that hadn't happened before. His bangle glowed a bright silver, just enough for him to see the glow coming from the base of his tail and he blinked. "Pufah, whatever," he mumbled and lifted the covers back over his body.

-4 hours later—

Sennyo Mountain was known more commonly among exorcists to be one of those strange, unexplainably crazy places that you should be careful about going to. In fact, in the world of exorcisms and demons it was near the equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle. So, to Bon, it made sense that his sensei would want to be obsessively cautious when taking his students to the mountain for their summer camp/test similar to the one performed with the giant lanterns last year. For their safety, however, this trip would likely only last about 3 days at most, and anything could go wrong in that time so several other exorcists were posted at the ready around this side of the mountain to protect them with wards and various sutras. And yet, despite everything that had been given to prepare the exwires for their test, nothing could have prepared Bon for any of what he'd experienced today. It had practically snowed coal tars earlier that day and the path they'd taken- a simple, easy to follow dear-trail- had twisted so out of sorts _as they were walking on it_ that even their sensei had almost gotten lost. With all the weird, unnamed creatures he'd seen to boot the young exwire was definitely ready to get back to the cabin, eat, and then sleep.

Of course, on their way back the group just had to find just one more strange phenomenon.

A dragon.

They had found the basic equivalent of a baby-demon _dragon _on day one.

Never mind, the Bermuda Triangle has _nothing _on this place.

He watched with tired interest the harmless little bundle wriggle in Shiemi's secure arms. Okumura-sensei had been sure to examine the injured infant before allowing the all-too caring herbal specialist take him in, discovering the toothless beak, soft, unsharpened claws and weak tail to pose no more a threat than a baby bird might. The creature certainly behaved more afraid of them then they were of it.

"It's kinda cute when you look at it," Shima told him as they neared the cabin, walking up the old cobble stone path to the old hostel.

"Tche, in what way?" he grumbled back.

"It won't be cute when it starts to breathe fire at you later," Izumo pointed out smartly out before Konekomaru could utter a single syllable, sending the pink haired aria an annoyed look. They had all suffered through a very arduous and long, stormy day so none of them were really in any mood for jokes, especially the violet-haired tamer. Who, by the way, almost got eaten by a giant Venus Fly Trap today.

Shima leaned forwards anyway and whispered in Konekomaru's large ear; "it's probably got less bite than she does."

At this Kamiki turned around and delivered a harsh, wrath-filled glare to the monk- who instantly stepped back and put his hands up in a harmless gesture. Well, at least he had stopped complaining.

"Kamiki-san, Shima-kun, I know we are all tired but it's not safe to argue here," Yukio reminded as he opened the door and allowed the line of students to stumble in. When they were all safely inside the elder shut the door and locked it with a quick sutra and a seal. Turning around he was glad to see his elder brother's sleeping form across the room and wrapped safely in his blue travel blankets. He hadn't seen the elder all day since his arrival and that had worried him.

"Geeze, lazy monkey sleeping while we're out working our assess off," he heard Bon grumble irritably.

"Maybe I should give him some ginseng," Sheimi mumbled worriedly. Yukio didn't really feel any need to point out how ruthless Shura's training really was, knowing that they would find out sooner or later someday.

Rin didn't so much as twitch even at the various heavy sounds of bags falling to the ground as the rest of the exwires arrived and unloaded their luggage- each given the same amount of tools to work with in case they got separated and therefore meaning each bag was roughly the same weight and hit the floor with a solid _thunk_.

Making her way over to her sleeping bag and blankets Shiemi set herself down and grabbed a sheet to wrap the little lizard in. It made sounds similar to squeaky mewls and squirmed a bit in her arms, blood oozing out of it's right wing and soaking into the blanket she had wrapped it in.

"I'll get a towel," Konekomaru said and scurried off to the bathroom while the rest of them settled around the room. Yukio hovered beside the girl, observing the baby in her arms for any sign of hostility while, at the same time, monitoring it's health. He wasn't an expert at playing the role of a doctor for demons but since his brother was a half demon he could say he had developed more skill than other doctors would claim to own.

But still, a baby dragon?

Soon Konekomaru had returned and Shiemi lifted the little creature up so the bald monk could place the towel on her lap before she returned him to his previous placement and wrapped him up. The little one continued squirming while the herbalist conjured medicinal plants from her familiar, Nii-chan and continued with its fervent efforts even as she began to drip anti-bacterial ointment on it.

"Ugh, does it ever stop?" she heard Izumo carp from across her, the irritated teen's sleeping bag placed a few feet from the bottom of her own.

"I'm sure he's just scared," the blond said gently, "there, there, you're all right," she soothed and draped some Bletilla Rhizome across it's injured wing. As she did the hatchling opened it's maw and spat sparks into the cool air, making Shima flinch back and Yukio step forward. Before he could react the baby dragon swung it's neck around and clamped its beak on Shiemi's finger. Startled, the young girl released her grip on the creature and it scuttled away, shooting across the room towards Rin- the only individual it could discern as demon enough to be safe- before anyone could grab it. It was unable to recognize the strange, gangly creatures that had saved it, having never encountered them before and thus lunged for the nearest familiarity in this strange situation regardless of the threat that familiarity itself might pose to him. Pressing it's tail-bone into the small of Rin's back it snapped its beak open and closed in what it hoped was a threatening manner, shooting harmless sparks all the while.

Yukio muttered something under his breath and quickly checked his student's finger while the rest of his pupils cautiously stood. The dragon hadn't the strength to break her skin and left only a slightly reddened mark behind, no damage done. Sighing, the teacher turned to his _still _sleeping brother on the other side of the hostel, vaguely wondering what had happened to Shura.

"Why is it sticking so close to Okumura-kun?" Konekomaru wondered aloud. Just as these words dropped from his tongue a familiar appendage slipped out from under Rin's covers; a threatening blue-black stalk bending over the harmless baby.

"Rin, no!" Shiemi cried before she could stop herself. To her surprise and shock, however, the call of her voice did absolutely nothing to rouse the elder exwire and he simply shifted up a little under his blankets. His long tail snaking around the hatchling in what Yukio thought to resemble an effort to guard it. The little creature squeaked and pressed itself hard against Rin, giving his tail a relieved-seeming glance before clambering over his side and disappearing from view. A minor 'eep' and the creature peaked over Rin's side a moment, sending them all one last warning look before the sight of his new guardian's tail flipping brought him back down. Almost instinctively Rin curled up around the hatchling and released a contented sigh, the baby squeaking comfortably.

"Baw, would yew look at that?" cooed a familiar voice from the door. Yukio whirled around and found himself facing his brother's instructor, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest and a smug look her on her face.

"Kirigakure-sempai," he sighed, exasperated, "where have you been?"

"Hey, hey, don't use that tone with me. I was getting yew dinner, spotty-four eyes!" she shot back and walked around the breakfast bar where she dropped a few plastic bags on the table. Well, at least she wasn't forcing the task on Rin.

"Alright, finally, food!" Shima cried jubilantly and trotted into the kitchen with Bon and Konekomaru following at a more restrained pace. Yukio sighed again and glanced at his brother.

"Yuki-chan?" Shiemi asked, worriedly.

"It's alright, I'll check on him later," he assured her. The blond cast a look between the brothers before complying and tailing Izumo into the kitchen where Shura was beginning to pass out the microwavable meals.

When the younger Okumura finished his dinner and went to check on his elder brother it was to find him snoring lightly with a baby dragon curled up in his arms and Kuro jealously glaring at the hatchling beside the blue-eyed demon's belly.

_Oh boy, _he thought, and hoped that this would not become a big problem later.

* * *

><p><strong>Tired. Hopefully no one is majorly out of character ~x~<strong>

**I think Shima might be a little OC since he's not complaining _nearly _as much as he would have, but, I'm a little tired with going through the same process with this guy over and over again and wanted to mix it up. Let's say Shima's complained himself out for now, and allow me to be creative with characters that are all so predictable I'm beginning to bore myself XD **

***takes chapter and flips it every which way* well, as far as my bleary examination goes I say the chapter is fairly fine. If anyone sees anything glaring then let me know and I promise not to bite this time. **

**BTW, thank you all so, so, so much for your support! T-T All the reviews people left me after my angry-rage chapter where very forgiving and kind. They really helped me out a bunch. Thanks so much for your patience as well! :) I'll get to answering the reviews later this week. (I'm going to try PMing all the people with accounts and responding to all those who don't below the chapters.)**

**Anyway, thanks again! I've got some gratitude plan thing going for you guys, but I'm not sure just yet how it's going to work ;) **

**FT~ **


	39. Baby Feeding

**Aw, man. Headache, why you do dis?**

**Disclaimer: These baby dinosaurs continue to elude me.**

Baby Feeding:

Rin didn't really have much patience for kids, never really had. They were loud, obnoxious, and far too much trouble to look after- not to mention the horribly distressing sound of their crying. He just was _not _a kid person.

Really.

So, why, despite this, was he waking up with what appeared to be a baby lizard snuggled up to his chest at four thirty in the morning? All he could do was stare perplexedly at the black creature, watching it ruffle it's wings- one of which carried a line of bandages on it- and nuzzle his hand.

"Don't kill it, Rin," he heard Shura say from the kitchen. Her command may have been the only thing that had prevented him from doing just that when he woke up and found himself staring into a wide pair of orange-yellow eyes so close to his face he could see nothing else. As it has already been mentioned, he has woken up to find creatures trying to kill him before so, over the course of the first week, Rin developed a habit reflecting the phrase "shoot first, ask questions later."

Hmmm, probably not a good habit now that Yukio and the others were here.

He reclined his head back so he could glare at his senior upside-down and slightly to the side, hissing, "Where the fuck did it come from?"

Shura shrugged, spooning yogurt into her mouth, "dunno, yew'd have to ask Scardy-cat-four-eyes."

Grunting, Rin sat up, his muscles stiff and sore from yesterday's training. "Ugh, you just _had _to make me fight an isonade, yesterday, didn't you?" he groaned lightly and stood, the little creature squawking in alarm and crawling up his arm where it perched itself on his shoulder (1). He didn't need to use his enhanced demon vision as he tiptoed around the slumbering exwires and made his way towards the kitchen since Shura had so courteously turned on the light above the table- although it was a rather dim, weak light. "Geeze, you're going to wake everyone up."

"Pf, we were here first. They can suck it up. Besides, if Scardy-cat-four-eyes wants to find a nozuchi he'll have to get up soon anyway," Shura pointed out meanly and turned to the fridge, dropping her spoon into the sink as she did so, "As for the isonade yesterday; it was pretty good experience, I'd say. Even if yew couldn't kill it after all that work." She was not generally a morning person- actually, usually she was less of a morning person than Rin used to be. So the red-head was normally terrifying in the morning, spewing a derogatory aura to everything around her in such a way that Rin was convinced that if any flowers were in the area they would wither and die simply from being in her intimidating presence. His recent experiences with Yukio in the morning accompanied with his own previous spite of mornings provided him with an appropriate solution to the problem; brew lots and lots of coffee.

"Coffee?" he asked simply.

"Yes," she said, opening the fridge. That was all the response he needed, assuming that she had already downed a mug or so already since she hadn't turned on _all_ the lights and tried to stab him awake this morning. Normally he was the first one up as his teacher refused to wake up at the crack of dawn without a cup of coffee _first thing in the morning_ so it was somewhat intimidating to find that she had woken up before him this time.(2) Obviously, she had something special in mind for him today.

A small shudder touched Rin's spine as he stepped onto the cold, tiled floor of the kitchen and the little one on his shoulder shifted in response, his nubby tail pressing into the back of the elder's neck.

"There are still eggs and bacon left. Make something for us," she told him before he could ask her what remained in the refrigerator. With a deep breath the eldest Okumura yawned largely and the baby on his shoulder mimicked the movement just as the experienced swords-woman turned. "Pufu," she snorted, cheeks puffing up and mirth filling her eyes. Yeah, she _definitely _already had coffee this morning.

He grumbled and moved past her to grab the remaining carton of eggs. The red haired woman moved away and sat herself down at the kitchen table, watching the baby on his shoulder glare at her.

"Yew know that thing on yewr shoulder is a hatchling, right?"

"Hah?" Rin asked, pulling out all the thing's he'd need and setting them on the counter.

Shura sighed, "That thing on your shoulder is a baby dragon," she stated bluntly. At this Rin turned to her, expression unimpressed. Putting down the carton of eggs he'd taken from the fridge he grabbed the hatchling by the scruff of it's neck, fingers deftly pinching the warm, dry skin between it's scales and pulling the little one in front of his face. Bringing himself into a fetal position, paws and tail pressed against his belly, the little one stared back at him with giant yellow-orange, cat-like eyes. Looking closer at the strange creature he'd woken up to Rin noticed how lithe he was; he had a long neck- at least a foot in length- and a tail that was probably about half of that. The hatchling's snout was also rather far-reaching with a blunt grey beak at the end and a smooth, almost horn-like thing protruding off the top of his nose. His tail was obviously still growing and the same could be said about his claws too. But when he was older Rin imagined he would look like a large, long, intimidating black dragon out of an old American cartoon.

To be honest, he really couldn't bring himself to be all that surprised that he held a baby dragon in his hand at that very moment. He'd been on this crazy mountain long enough that if God himself came down from heaven Rin would probably look at him and go; "yeah, okay." After a week of continuous nonsense he'd had to adapt and, really, after he learning that your Satan's son and being forced to _live _with all the knowledge that comes with it you really can't be too startled by much afterwards. _Especially _when you were formerly not a believer. It also helped that Rin wasn't aware that dragons were supposed to be extinct.

"eep," the little one squeaked and the blue-black haired exwire blinked, watching as he spread out his wings a little. His wingspan was already over a meter in length, this guy was gunna get _big_. As it was he hardly fit on Rin's shoulder. (3)

"Okay. What do I do with it?" he asked and Shura laughed at his obvious befuddlement.

"How's about yew keep it around for now? A dragon would be an awesome familiar," she suggested. The unnamed youngling made a reptilian squeaking sound and flapped it's wings a little, not seeming to care about it's injured wing as it struggled.

"Hah?!" was the best protest that Rin could force out of his mouth, tail flipping in indignation behind him. The hatchling leapt from his loose grip and landed back on his shoulder, hissing at Shura.

"Heheh, yew don't even have to tame it!"

"I've already got Kuro as my familiar," Rin protested, cracking eggs against the bowl and throwing the shells into the garbage. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"Yew can have more than one familiar. Anyway, here's a more appropriate question for yew; where the hell is my coffee?" Rin scowled at her obvious lack of patience and washed his hands, Kuro was probably out hunting again. Something the eldest Okumura had noticed within the first few days of his training was his familiar's love for prowling through these strange woods and bringing back all sorts of weird tales to his friend. Sometimes the large cat sith would even return with a little something extra, such as demon herbs or even dead animals. Too bad Rin didn't know how to skin and gut any of them.

He poured a bit of milk and salt into the bowl with the eggs before he set some coffee he'd ground up a few days ago in a brewer. As it heated up he set several slices of bacon on the next pan and set it on a burner. However, when he tried to light it the stove clicked several times and began to emit gas instead. Cursing he tried again and was just as unsuccessful.

"Damn, this place is ridiculous," he muttered and lit the burner with a blue flame of his own. The hatchling on his shoulder jumped and fluttered his wings suddenly, leaning forward and stretching his neck out as far as he possibly could towards the finger Rin had used to light the burner. "What do you want?" he asked, exasperated. His best response was a frantic squeak. Curious he brought his finger up to the little one and watched as he nudged at the appendage, whining when Rin failed to react. Crunching his eyebrows together the youngest of Satan's sons relit his finger with blue flame and almost jumped out of his skin when the baby clamped his beak around it and began to suck, holding his hand in place with his tiny paw-claws and giving him a wide-eyed look of gratitude.

As he stared incredulously at him Shura began to laugh, "I was beginin' to wonder what this thing eats!"

Rin coughed and sputtered at that, whirling around and crying out, "it feeds on _fire_?!"

"It's a baby _dragon_, numbnuts, what do yew expect?" she asked.

"I _expect _that it eats meat!"

"Well, I guess that just makes yew lucky then, doesn't it."

Rin repressed the need to whine in dismay, uncomfortable with the idea of feeding something his flames as food- of all things it needed to eat why did it have to be that?

"Just hurry up and finish making breakfast already, whiner," Shura yawned. Fifteen minutes later Shura had finished her meal and had gone to get dressed somewhere while Rin fed the new hatchling.

"Dude, I have to get dressed too, let go," he told it, glaring somewhat gently at the infant sucking on his finger and crouched on the table. He lowered his flame to barely a spark and tried to extract his finger but the little one clung tightly to his hand with both beak and paws and only sucked even harder. Rin's tail had begun to flip around, tiny little sparks of irritation buzzing around it.

"Should I even ask?" a familiar voice questioned from the other side of the breakfast bar and Rin sent Bon a miserable glare. Yet, despite the glare there was an obvious request in those blue orbs; _help meee_. It could not be mistaken. Even so, Bon turned away with an evil smirk and instead headed towards the bathrooms, "you're on your own, _Papa_."

The only thing that prevented Rin from throwing little blue fireballs at the aria was the dragon attached to his hand.

Well, that and maybe the fact that Yukio was still sleeping.

**Ok, I know we've done this before, but, during my research for this chapter I discovered this; "Abumi-guchi - A furry creature formed from the stirrup of a mounted military commander and works for Yama Orochi." ****WHAT? I mean, it's not a vampire tree, but still it still makes me laugh. **

**(1) I found this while looking up the isonade, BUT if you're under the age of 13 don't follow the link: www . mantamancomics 2011 / 05 / isonade2/ BTW, I had no idea nor intention of making any kinds of Naruto references. Mr. Masashi Kishimoto screwed up his lore; it's only supposed to have one tail. So: 8P**

**(2) TT-TT Shuuuurraa, why can't you just be a morning person toooo? I think she would be groggy and short tempered in the morning but once she's had her coffee she's more…sociable? If I can even say that much. I live in an area where **_**everyone **_**is like that- this is the coffee place of America. Everyone, but me; the tea drinker liable to wake up early in the morning just so I can watch the sun come up. So, I'm not happy with how Shura acts in this, because it feels off. I may only feel like that because I'm distracted though…hopefully. (my sis has friends over and they're **_**louuud**_**)**

**(3) Woah, so many numbers this time guys. So, I calculated the little guy's wingspan and it's around 4.85 feet. He weighs about 8 or 9 pounds and is about the size of adult American Short-hair house cat. But, I did have a hard time with this because how am I supposed to **_**know **_**this? XD I compared him with the weights of newborn lambs and fat human babies and also used the wingspan of an adult Flying Fox bat too. He's a big baby **

**My research today was fun :3**

**FOR MY REVIEWS: Ok, I never expected to get so many reviews for this story so I'm having a hard time sorting them out. Here is how this could work. After my extensive temp hiatuses I will PM back to everyone- since that is when I have the MOST reviews. After that I respond at the bottom of the chapter when there are less reviews. For those who do not have accounts, I respond to their reviews on the current chapter.**

**Does that sound okay?**

**I could also simply clear off the review page and continue answering them there as well…. I want to respond to every review but woaaah, there are so many! XD I love them all but I want to know what you guys would like best before I start replying. What do you guys think? I'll wait for a day or two to see what you guys think first. **


	40. Bathing

**For the record, I never intended the baby dragon to become a part of the story. He was originally only supposed to be there for that one chapter. So many people liked him though….**

**So, since you guys are the ones who demanded he stay, I demand BABY PICTURES! Draw me a picture of our baby dragon friend and send me a link. **

**Disclaimer: These baby dinosaurs STILL continue to elude me!**

Bathing:

Rin leaned back against the rocky edge of the onsen with a relieved sigh, basking in the soothing warmth and trying not to fall asleep. Just as always Shura's training was merciless; even now as he soaked his sore muscles in the onsen's waters he had lining all around the large pool hundreds of candles and each wick was lit with his flame. They cast the area in a beautiful azure that fell across the rocks and shimmered over the water, leaving a beautiful light pattern on the rock below the surface. To anyone but Rin and Shura it was an incredible sight to see, each wick cradling a blue heart dancing in the soft wind. He had to keep at least 35% of his awareness on the candles so as not to burn them all away. But even this much relaxation was enough, in comparison to the monster he had to fight earlier today; the ōmukade. Centipedes should not be allowed to ever get that big in _any _universe. Closing his eyes the blue-black haired teen sank deeper into the hot spring and listened to the sound of Kasei splashing around. After Rin's numerous attempts of naming the little hatchling Mr. Cannibal for eating his flames Yukio had eventually decided to give him the kanji for Fire Born. And so Kasei was given his name.

A blue orb was opened and observed the creature as he paddled through the water with his beak opened in a wide smile and his eyes full of joy. Apparently swimming was approved. But washing, on the other hand, was another matter. It had taken Satan's youngest son at least 30 minutes before he'd managed to get even half the muck off the baby dragon in a nearby lake, swearing and cursing in ways that would make a drunken sailor blush as he did so. He promised himself to never, _ever _trust Shura to look after the little guy _ever again. _Kasei noticed the elder watching and attempted to 'eep' at him but due to his beak being half submerged he only managed to emit a squeaky bubbling noise. Amused by the sound he had produced Kasei smacked his beak open and closed, gurgling jubilantly. Rin suddenly felt very old wishing he had the little guy's enthusiasm and energy.

"You're going to drown yourself," he warned and the little black dragon immediately shut his beak, flapping his wings and causing water to extravasate around him.

"**Rin!**" a familiar voice echoed throughout his mind and he lifted his head to greet his black cat sith, back from his trip of hunting. He stood beside the onsen's rocky rim, paws blanketed by the steam. It was naturally formed and very large, capable of fitting at least 30 people. Molded on the slope of a large cliff, high enough to be just above the trees below and giving an awesome sight of the sky. The path on the way up could get somewhat treacherous but in comparison to everything else Rin had faced recently it was pretty harmless. The onsen was probably the best part of this trip, even if whenever he visited he had to provide his own light.

"Oh! Kuro! How was it?" he asked and grinned. Kuro carefully squinted his eyes as he slid into the steaming water, erupting into pleasant purrs as it washed over his dirty frame before he began swimming towards his tamer. Each stroke was fluid and experienced, leaving only small ripples around the sleek feline. This stark in contrast to the frantic splashes of an excited baby dragon.

"**I caught Ikuchi and a Ningyo**. **Ah, I also caught two Kappa!**" he explained and placed himself beside the half-demon.

Rin made a face, "did you eat them?" he asked.

"**I ate the ningyo and a few regular fish but that was it,**" he denied, "**Ikuchi was too oily and Kappa have a funny taste."**

_Would a Kappa even taste good_? He silently wondered. "Well, I saved a bowl of sukiyaki for you in the fridge." The eldest Okumura's eyes lowered and he sank a little deeper into the water, feeling it sway around his neck. The rock his head rested on was relatively cool in contrast and the fresh smell of the onsen drifted into his nose.

It was overall very relaxing.

"**You did?!** **Thanks, Rin! You're definitely the best!**" the sith cried happily and jumped onto his head, pushing Rin into the water.

Until that happened. He burst out sputtering and trying not to laugh at Kuro's eagerness. Apparently, despite the wonders of the meals this forest provided he still produced the best food.

Soon Rin was left alone at the edge of the onsen, watching Kuro attempt to teach Kasei how to swim properly. The air tonight was as clear and cool as the sky was overhead, ever enveloping and open in the blue darkness. Faintly his breath came from his mouth in small puffs of white, but he imagined that was only because of a nearby kodama. Beneath him the rock was smooth, warm and the water that wrapped around his body seeped into his stiff muscles with such an indescribably soothing touch he felt as though he would never excavate himself from this onsen again. He'd been sore and achy for hours, barely able to move by the time the day had ended. That pain could not have been swept away by anything but an onsen like this one. With a tired sigh he leaned back and turned to the stars overhead, recalling one of many useless facts that old geezer had once told him.

"_Hey, did you know that each star represents a spirit?"_

"_Wow, really?!"_

"_Yeah, and there are more stars in the sky than there are grains of sand on Earth."_

"_Will I become a star when I die, daddy?"_

"_Haha, who knows?" _

"Hey, you're slacking on your job, _Papa_," sneered a familiar tone. He tilted his head even farther back and found himself looking at Bon, Shima, Konekomaru, and Yukio.

"Bon," Konekomaru's tone almost held a warning to it.

"Shut up, at least I'm not you," was the best response his taunt managed to get out of Rin as he scooted to the side so they could get in easier.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" the aria spat back, his voice somewhat more subdued than usual. Examining his face a little more thoroughly he quickly came to notice the exhausted look about his face. In fact, weary expressions were apparent on each face as they sank into the onsen's comforting warmth together. Even Yukio held a haggard shadow to his face.

"Oh maaan," Shima gasped as he lowered himself into the hot water.

"Ah, that feels incredible," Konekomaru agreed happily. Rin smiled, the reaction was the same with everyone.

"I'm not even going to begin asking how you guys did with your training," he said, a knowing aura around him.

"Please don't," the pink haired aria grimaced, "I want to forget this day ever happened." Bon glowered in silence and Rin, despite what he'd said, couldn't help but wonder if it had really been that bad. He'd had one hell of a day, but at least he'd made progress.

He could feel Yukio watching him but didn't return his glance and instead closed his eyes, head resting against the rock wall. Some unexplainable instinct caused him to open his left eye and catch Kasei on the opposite end of the onsen with his maw opened and just closing around the wick of one of the candles. Smoke rose from his nostrils and he quickly inclined his head back with a look of surprised disgust on his face. His mouth quirked up in the barest hints of a smile and he closed his eye again, Kasei was ok.

"**Ah!** **Rin!**" Kuro's call was quickly followed by a strange sputtering and the popping sound of sparks. He raised his head and watched Kasei paddle rapidly towards him, a second candle wick behind him having been put out. He must have tried another one, as though thinking that such an awful taste simply could not be possible and needing to try again just to make sure. The little hatchling made an upset cackling sound as he approached, distorted by the water in his mouth. His little head was all that managed to breech the surface and to any maternally affected woman it would be quite the adorable sight.

"**He keeps trying to eat the flames,**" Kuro told him needlessly, swimming beside the youngling with an amused expression on his face.

"Geeze," Rin moaned, "I keep telling you those flames are not edible. Are you being dense on purpose?" he asked with a friendly glare and tucked a hand under the hatchling's belly so he could lift him up out of the water. He put the hatchling on a smooth rock lining the pool. Kasei warbled and tilted his head to the side, understanding the words but not their meaning. Once he was safely on the rock, Kasei turned and hissed at the candles across the onsen, spitting out angry sparks and fluttering his wings. Rin flicked his horn, "Knock it off, it's your fault you have that taste on your tongue." Then he seemed to notice how much hotter the hatchling felt and scowled, "You've probably been in the water too long, stay out there a while." At this Kasei tilted his head and gave his unwilling guardian a strange look. He shuffled around so he could face him and pushed forwards until he was uncomfortably close, an almost evil look in his eye.

"It looks like he wants something from you," Yukio pointed out, seeming as interested as the others.

"What?" Rin asked, raising an eyebrow and suddenly feeling very suspicious. Swiftly, quite to his surprise the hatchling stuck out his tongue and smacked Rin right in the nose. His tongue was sticky and smooth, similar to that of a frog's- but it was also strong. A fact Rin had discovered the first time he had to feed him; Kasei has an iron grip to put all iron grips to shame. He shot backwards with a large splash and a shout of surprise, his little dragon scurrying along the rock wall and emitting a strange _kackackackack _sound, as though he was laughing at him. "You little-!" he growled.

"Hahaha! Bon's right you are just like a father," Shima laughed, trying in vain to muffle his giggles with the palm of his hand. Rin sent him a glare, the two dark candles Kasei had put out suddenly flaring up as he relit them. Surprised the pink haired monk flinched away, "Gah, Okumura-kun, that's not fair!"

Rin just yawned at him. Too tired to chase after the hatchling as well as argue with the monk.

"But this is really amazing, Okumura-kun," he heard Konekomaru say and pride filled his chest at the awe in the strategist's voice.

"About time all that hard work paid off," Bon agreed and Rin caught him sweeping his gaze around the onsen, noticing how perfect each flame seemed.

"It's great that you've gained so much progress, Okumura-kun, but please don't strain yourself," Yukio pointed out stiffly. Rin was the only one who heard the silent; _I don't want to have to look after you again if you get sick_.

He snorted, "this is nothing compared the regular training that witch puts me through." Then he looked at Yukio, "you really have to relax, Mr. Stiff-spotty-chicken." Rin smirked at the small twitch beneath his younger brother's eye. Before Yukio could retaliate, the elder Okumura's phone began to buzz. Kasei- who had shuffled back to Rin- looked down at it and eeped in question, almost nosing it into the water. "Woah!" his blue-black haired caretaker cried and managed to catch the cell before it could hit the water. Sending him a glare he flipped it open he viewed the caller ID with an increasing glower. He pressed 'accept' and put the phone to his ear. "Whaaat?" he groaned into the receiver.

"_Is that anyway to greet yewr instructor?_" Shura asked, amusement in her voice.

"Yes." Rin deadpanned.

She laughed, "_Tell me how many demons are around you and what they are_," she then ordered. It had become a custom to ask him this at least once a day as Shura attempted to stretch his senses and gain better control of his surroundings.

"Hey, you're even less relaxed than Yukio is," he growled.

"_Just do it, whiner_."

"Geeze," his tail flicked and rose out of the water a little. It was undoubtedly a strange feeling to experience, having a tail submerged. The tuft of fur at the end was dripping but water rolled over the stalk like it did off a duck's back.(1) When it was completely submerged it was surrounded by air bubbles that shifted and swept across his tail when he moved, giving a feeling similar to that of soft fingertips gliding along bare skin. It really only gets like that when he's using his flames, though, which was as much of a relief as it was a pain.

At first the bubbles had been distracting and rather uncomfortable but as Shura continued to train him in lakes he grew accustomed to the sensation. He even felt as though its ability to sense demons underwater was better than those above it, like things just echoed back better when it was engulfed. He shifted and pushed Kasei's muzzle away as he tried to nuzzle the stalk, tail twitching. Several of the hairs near the end stood on end and he shuddered- the just-out-of-water experience was weird too. "There's a bakeneko on the other side of the cliff and an itsumade about fifty-feet above me. A kuekegen in the forest below and I'm pretty sure there's a kodama as well, though I can't pinpoint it's location right now. It's somewhere among the maple trees down there," he said, moving to the edge of the onsen so he could look over the side.

"O-Okumura-kun, could it be that you," Konekomaru began, staring at him.

"You can sense demons?" Shima sputtered.

Before Rin could say anything Shura piped up; "_yeh, and it's super handy out here~_"

Suddenly Bon was slamming his head against his, "Why didn't you try using that _before, you stupid monkey?!_"

"Hah?! Maybe because I didn't need to, ya dumbass chicken!" the eldest Okumura shot back. Yukio simply watched in silence, marveling at how far his brother had come. Last month Rin probably hadn't known _any_ of the demons he had just named even existed. He couldn't help but wonder what else his brother was silently capable and aware of- things that even he didn't know about his elder.

"**Rin, I heard from a tanuki today that there's going to be a Hyakki Yakō tomorrow night,**" Kuro mewled and stood up beside him, putting a temporary end to the two's bickering.

"'A Hyakki…Yakō?'" he inquired, an inquisitive look taking over his scowl. Of course, there was still a ways for his brother to go before he could become an exorcist.

"It's a demon's night parade. Typically they occur in high, unpopulated places under a full moon," Yukio explained, "Mr. Faust warned me there might be one, when will it take place?"

"I was wondering why there were so many obake around. Kuro said it'll happen tomorrow night-"

"**On the other side of the mountain, probably**."

"-on the other side of the mountain."

"Hm, we'll have to be sure we stay inside during that time. Hyakki Yakō's attract demons from several different regions, because of that they can get really big. Furthermore, many of these demons range from low level to high-upper class demons. We won't be able to leave in time so we'll have to wait it out. We'll have to be very careful," Yukio pointed out.

"Eh?" Shima began, "why don't we use a key?"

"Mr. Faust has cut off all the connections to avoid any demons warping into them. I believe I explained their warping methods earlier this evening." Shima sweat dropped.

"Geeze, this place is crazy," Bon hissed.

"It can't be helped," Yukio sighed, _this is what Mephisto planned for, after all_. It was almost funny how true that thought was.

The air had become somewhat tense now as silence filled the gap. Recently Rin had definitely felt that something was off. Not just because of how suspiciously busy and void his younger brother had been acting, either. Something within him was writhing, squirming and festering in the silent darkness of his very essence. At night it bared it's fangs and howled, often keeping him awake longer than what he really liked listening the deafening sound of his heart beating. He had this feeling that he needed to leave. That there was someplace he needed to go to. And with each passing day he felt more and more alive as well. The difference was small but Rin felt it; a lightness to his body and a strength to his muscles that hadn't been there the day before. His heart beat a little stronger when he thought about it- the gap in the world. He didn't know what it was or how to really explain it but it was _wrong_. Confusingly still was the sense that it was also so fucking _right_.

Instincts, the same ones that told him to leave, also said that this gap was the reason so many demons had been present recently. It was unnerving. At this point Rin failed to notice the little sparks flying off his tail and the soft glow of his bangle behind him. They all did.

"**Rin, Kasei's doing something,**" the black cat sith warned, pushing his tails against the half-demon's side to get his attention. He turned to the little hatchling, standing on the other side of the onsen and seeming as though he was bracing for something; his wings half outstretched and his claws grabbing onto the rocks as he leaned back with his eyes crunched shut.

"Kasei?" he called and the little one stood up on the tips of his toes, the scales on his neck beginning to push outwards. (2) He looked like a bird with his neck-feathers out, preparing for the biggest-

Oh.

_Oh._

_PTCHU! _Sparks and fire shot out of Kasei's mouth so hard he was pushed up into the air, scalding heat pouring over the rocks enough to turn them bright red. The black dragon even shook his head when he erupted, sending the fiery debris raining right and left. Several cries followed from his friends as they scrambled backwards to avoid being burnt. When it was over several of Rin's candles had gone out and all that remained was a slightly darker, yet also captivated silence.

"That was the most impressive sneeze I will ever see in my life," Shima deadpanned. Shura blew up into laughter on the phone having already experienced a similar occurrence when Rin was training earlier that day.

"Could this guy actually be dangerous already?" Bon muttered in disbelief.

Kasei simply looked to a baffled Rin and perked, squeaking happily he plunged off the rocks and swam towards him with all the wide-eyed innocence of a baby bird who had just farted himself out of the nest. The hatchling wasn't aware of what he'd done but he _was_ conscious of all the attention he was getting. He made several distressed sounding squeaks as he paddled up to Rin and as soon as he reached his guardian he disappeared behind him. Kasei pulled himself onto the rocks and curled up behind Rin with his head resting on the half-demon's shoulder so he could keep Bon and the other's in his sights.

"Let's hope he doesn't do that in the hostel," Yukio says and Rin feels a remarkable need to cry purely from the image it brought to his mind. Because, with his luck lately, it was going to happen one way or another.

**Yeah, Rin's tail is sorta hydrophobic. Don't ask me why, I dunno. **

**Would someone please draw this particular image for me? XD I need someone who's good at drawing dragons for such a difficult image, but it would be fantastic to see. **

**I diiiid it. This chapter took a while to write .o.**


	41. Drabbles (STORIES ADDED)

ITS AFTER THE NOTE!

READ MEEE: *swallows* well, some of you have noticed and I feel the need to provide a very profound apology to you. Raise your hands if you know who Flip Flop Slop Mop is! I know that some of you have noticed her comments on the fic and I'll be answering everyone's reviews here in a moment so I can tell you directly but I'd like to point out for future notice, so it doesn't get too out of hand, that I also know who Flip Flop Slop Mop is.

She's a friend of mine in real life, a very good friend of mine, in fact. She's also a troll, a very natural troll. And a troll specifically designed to annoy me. Or at least attempt to, I've gotten pretty used to her in the 6 or 7 years I've known her. (If she's going around and trolling others I'll beat her with a belt. I can. I know where she lives.) If you see her trolling anyone else you have full rights to smack her up. I'm sorry! I'll get her to apologize too the next time I see her on Skype. She doesn't mean any harm, she's just having fun at my expense XD I feel bad seeing everyone come to my defense against her though. But I'm very thankful for those who so eagerly jumped to my defense, thank you and I'm so sorry for the confusion!

This is presently an empty chapter that will be filled with short drabbles within this next week. If you're not going to read the gratitude plan then go ahead and skip this next part.

**Gratitude Plan:** There's a select group of my reviewers who know of my rage chapter, previously chapter 39, where I spewed out all the animosity and stress I had building. For those of you who never got to see it; I complained about the people who complained about my misspelling of "Okumura" and "exwire" and basically told them to frag off or give me proof because there are like three different ways of spelling exwire _and the manga uses all of them_. People wanted me to spell "exwire" correctly, but as far as I could see there wasn't one. I was getting ticked off that people kept insisting that there was one. Anyway, I've been combing through all the chapters and fixing the errors but I'm sure many people still see them since I'm not done yet.

To my surprise at the time, a lot of people didn't rage back at me for it but instead _apologized _and gave me encouragement to get through all my asshat-tests and work through the rest of my crazy year. I want to express how thankful I am to each of those people so here we go:

For the following list of people I will write an Ao No Exorcist drabble of whatever the hell you want. Each drabble will be up to a half a page- or a full page, depends- long. Please don't ask me to do any kind of romance, I can't do that at all. If you want me to put in an OC you'll have to give a description of what they look like and how they behave first- and anything else you want me to know about them. Keep in mind that each of these drabbles is probably only going to be half a page so try not to ask for anything big. What have I not written yet that you want to see?

Here's the list left of people who have not yet requested:

Kitsune Foxfire

luvthesea17

Hrosanna

Pink Pickles

Swift-Star9

GGCharms

Kikwoka

wildface97

HappyFestus (I keep seeing HappyFetus oxo;)

Bard of Chaos

DebbieKun3

Tsukinopen

pandaluv-chan

Yuu3

Alexa Piper

Lightfeather5632

Pick-you-up Fan.

Guest 2 (Hopefully you're still reading and see this. You know who you are but I'll need a way of recognizing you since I get a lot of guest reviewers. I don't want to give your chapter to another person on accident. You're review says you posted it on 2/1/13. If you look in your review history I'm sure you can find it and post it back to me so I know it's you. Or find another way of letting me know it's you :) )

Sephant- okay, for giving me the three examples/reasons and providing a very compelling explanation for what I was doing wrong I'm willing to do for you whatever you want. Even if it's romance, I'll give it my best shot. You gave me some of your time and so I'll specifically give you some of mine

Did I miss anyone?

Now, I know there is a LOT of you who would have reviewed and done the same thing as a lot of these people if I hadn't taken the chapter down. Not actually sure why I did…Eh. Anyway, I'm curious about those of you who would have said something, what would YOU want me to write about? I can't make any promises that I will, but I can promise to keep it in mind in my chapters.

DICLAIMER: I don't own it?

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><p><strong>Tsukinopen: <strong>_Wanted to see Rin freaking out when he realizes Mephisto and the other kings are his bros:_

"This is fuckin' ridiculous," Rin snarls, caught in Mephisto's flamboyant office and glaring down at the 100 yen bill in his hand. "When are you going to _actually _give me a proper allowance?" he demanded.

"Whatever do you mean?" the purple haired demon asked in his usual sing-song tone. Rin's tail stood on end and if his ears could have rotated back they probably would have.

"Are you crazy? I can't buy anything with this crap!" He waved the bill in front him harshly. Mephisto's grin widens a little, and he sets his pen down. A vein almost twitches above Rin's forehead at the sight of all his doodles right beside a big stack of paperwork.

"Oh certainly," Rin blinks. "Of course, if I am crazy then my ill state of mind must also have be apparent in you as well since we come from the same father. So, technically, you just called yourself crazy." Mephisto has to wait several minutes for his slower sibling to finish working that out.

"O-oh no, fuck that- we are _not _related," he sputters, taking a surprised step back.

The grin on Mephisto's face is so perfectly demonic in this lamp light, "Oh but you are my youngest sibling. I've told you before about the rest of your brothers and sisters, the sub-kings and queens of hell~" He's having quite a lot of fun watching Rin's face twist and change a few shades. "You've already met Astaroth and Amaimon."

"Both of those guys have tried to kill me! There is no way-" he begins to deny.

"Pff, Astaroth was only trying to do his job and bring you to Gehenna. It wasn't his intention to kill you after he found who you were. And do you really think that any of your siblings hold any brotherly affections? Unlike you, we _are _purebred demons." It seems that Rin has forgotten about the 100 yen bill in his hand, too stunned to move. "You really didn't realize this? Maybe I should assign you extra assignments to help with that stupidity of yours," he wonders.

Mephisto doesn't even have to ask Rin to leave the room.

"Elder brother," Amaimon's voice catches his attention, "is that really you're most effective method?"

"Tche, have you been paying attention to this day at _all_?" he demands, glaring at the tired hamster.

"Yes. And you've used the same method for every human that has walked into your office today."

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><p><strong>Winged Element: <strong>_Mentioned that an AU would be interesting to see ;) (I've been needing to get this one out of me for awhile) _

Rin Okumura was a 15 year old teen living like every normal guy his age. When you got passed the alcohol guzzling, cigarette smoking, drug abusing adoptive exorcist father sharing his condo with him, that is. His adoptive mother was out of the house 22 hours of the day. But sometimes, when she was feeling guilty, she might leave him breakfast on the table. It was really amusing to Rin that he was better at cooking than she was. Mr. and Mrs. Shishizo were not actually married either, they were just two people assigned the role of his guardians by the very tentative Grigori council. Oh yeah, Rin was also Satan's son and as a result needed to be watched. He had the tail, ears, teeth, and blue flames to go with his heritage and everything. So, yeah, he was pretty normal, right? You would be surprised by how many kids have to live with abusive parents, after all. Mr. Shishizo just likes to take that to a different level and it doesn't help that he has access to acids either.

So when Rin wakes up he immediately wishes he was asleep; he doesn't want to wake up and try to care for all his new wounds. Shishizo had very nearly killed him this time, he could barely move and already a week has passed. The man had received a call that Rin wasn't in class that day and it took him until 5 in the afternoon to realize he didn't know where his adoptive son _actually _was. So he'd gone out and looked around. When he couldn't find him he'd stopped in the school courtyard and called him. Not wanting him to know where he was, Rin had made the mistake of telling him he was in the courtyard he stood in. Of course he was punished by the man for the lie. During the beating the guy had been incredibly high and had convinced himself that Rin was actually Satan. The only reason he was still alive was because of Mrs. Shishizo miraculously coming home earlier than usual. The hospital couldn't take him in because, well, he was a demon. So he was treated by an underground doctor who had lost his brother to the effects of the Blue Night. He gave Rin poor medicine, stuff that slowed down the healing process. But Rin knew next to nothing about himself and his abilities so he never knew, just took the medication no matter how sick it made him.

He expects to feel agony, just as always, and is surprised when he feels it's been dulled down. There is enough feeling for him to realize that his chest is bare and he immediately wishes for the poor protection of a shirt. The blankets covering him from the waist down are not sufficient enough for him because all his bandages are exposed. Nervous, his tail wraps around his stomach loosely, the sheets and gauze whispering as it glides over them. He feels clammy and hot, sweat is rolling down his skin. Furrowing his brow he tries to swallow but his throat and mouth are so dry that his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth.

Movement beside him makes him flinch and he instinctively sniffs the air. There is a smell of smoke on the figure beside him, but it isn't the same kind of cigarette smoke as what is usually on Shishizo. It's a different brand. The cologne this man uses is different too. Rin does not recognize him. The sound of water being poured makes him cringe, just because he is not Shishizo does not mean he isn't harmless. His tail tightens around his front anxiously and he grits his teeth.

"Calm down fool, I'd never stoop so low as to give you holy water," the voice is kind but there is a deep sense of sadness in it. He barley recognizes it as guilt. A hand slips behind the feverish teen's head, lifting it up and putting a cold, glass rim to his lips. He lets the water fill his mouth but strongly resists the temptation to swallow it. The blue-black haired teen waits for the burn and only when it doesn't come does he drink. After the first sip he finds himself quickly guzzling down the remainder; he might not need water as much as regular humans but it _has _been a week since he's last had anything to drink. A small gasp manages to escape him when he finishes the glass and his head is gently laid back against the pillow. This time when he swallows it's much easier.

Bravely opening his eyes a little, Rin turns his head and is met by the sight of what appears to be a priest sitting beside him. He's wearing the attire of a holy man and his hair is silver, a pair of crow's feet sit beside his warm eyes. There is stubble dotting his chin, making his face seem a little scruffy. Glasses cover his eyes with string attachments covered in various beads. He notices that the room isn't his either; it's small and has a bunk bed, desk, and a large window directly behind the man beside him. Well, he thinks it's a bunk bed but he may be too doped up to tell. Surely he's seeing things.

"Hey," the man smiles, "how do you feel?" Rin doesn't want to say anything and so he remains quiet, watching the man carefully. His smile doesn't go away though, "We've given you something to help with the pain and dinner will be ready in an hour if you're up for it." Rin has to swallow the saliva in his throat at that. The priest chuckles, "You can call me Shirō," his smile widens a little, "if 'Dad' is too much for you." Shirō carefully watches Rin's eyes widen, and he slowly puts a hand on his head- he doesn't want to startle the skiddish teen again. "From now on, you'll be staying here. You can eat when you want, drink when you want, and say what you want," he trails off to let it sink in, "you can be safe here."

The baffled look on Rin's tired face is almost comical, "w-wh," his voice is hoarse and quiet.

_"Welcome home."_

* * *

><p><strong>Snowflake Kisses: <strong>_Was interested in my take on how Yukio and Rin would interact with each other after Yukio rejects Shiemi and Shiemi rejects Rin in chapter 46. _

It was obvious to Yukio that Rin was sulking. He didn't talk to Ukobach as he prepared dinner that evening and Kuro was napping in his bed rather than hovering downstairs as he prepared their dinner. For once, though, he wasn't sure what to do about it. His brother had never had girl problems before and with all the things weighing on Yukio's shoulders he was absolutely stumped. Biting his lip he sets down his pen. He just can't focus on his work today.

Without really registering it his hand comes up to his eye and he finds himself wondering once again what happened. He clenches his fist and tries to shake away the thoughts but before he knows it Rin is shouting his name beside him and looking quite irritated.

He rubs his temples, "is it really necessary to scream?" he asks.

"Obviously, yes, if you can't hear me calling you when I'm standing right next to you." A vein is throbbing on Rin's forehead and there's a scowl in place. "Dinners ready."

"Alright, I'm coming." The brown haired exwire pushes himself out and away from his desk, following his brother out the door and to the kitchen. It isn't until they sit down to eat that they start talking.

"S-so," Rin begins and Yukio looks up. His brother can't seem to meet his eyes and there is a somewhat depressed air around him, "how'd things go with Shiemi?" He's almost surprised that Rin isn't _mad _with him about that. Though, he probably will be soon enough.

"I had to decline," the exorcist says calmly and Rin goes dead silent.

"You did what?" he demands. Yukio doesn't feel any need to reply; he wants to finish his food quickly and escape. "What the hell Yukio! Why did you reject her?!" Ukobach's supportive and demanding warble sort of surprises him. He's finished his rice when he looks up and sees the two of them glaring at him.

"I don't have the time to play around," is his simple remark. He can tell that Rin is angry and doesn't know what to say to his brother.

"And what is it that you're doing that is so fucking important that you have to reject her? Don't tell me you used _that _lie again!" His brother knows him too well.

"Thank you for the meal," he claps his hands together and stands. Rin grabs him before he can run off though. Yes, he really does know him too well.

"Yukio, answer me! What the hell is with you?" Almost impulsively he reaches up and grabs Rin's arm, the one holding onto him. His touch is enough to calm his brother and the black haired exwire waits for a response.

"I don't have the time Rin. But you do," his smile is strained and small and tired and he has to resist touching his eye again.

Rin swallows thickly and he catches his little brother's eyes with a fiery look that promises not to let go. In his cerulean gaze, Yukio can see the hurt in his big brother's own and is seized by guilt, "But _I'm _not the one that she loves."

* * *

><p><strong>Winged Golden Tiger: <strong>_Suggested that Rin gets a pair of wings and submits to his inheritance. (Oh boy, this'll be a doozy.) _

There was a terrible ache in his back, the area around him was dark and he was alone. The rocks below him twisted upwards like dark globule-ridden stalactites and the sky was empty of any moon or sun. He didn't know how he'd gotten here, didn't currently care. The pain in his back was too intense for him to focus on anything outside of his own agony and when a growl bubbled out of his throat a scream quickly followed. It felt like there was something inside of his back trying to get out, writhing and pulling forwards. His scream diminished but he stayed as he was; crouched over and clutching his shoulders as the terrible pain speared through his back and spine. Sweat coated his body in a sick layer and he gasped, panting and groaning in terrible agony. Another scream erupted from his mouth when whatever it was trying to make it's way out of his flesh broke skin. Slowly it pushed outwards and the more it moved the more he felt his control over it strengthen. He began to push it outwards himself now, hands still on his shoulders, trying to get it to leave his body.

"GggaaaAAAAH!" He shrieked and stopped, panting hard. Two bone-like, sharp and blood covered objects are protruding from his back about a foot but they are no longer moving on their own. He wants to writhe but he can't _move _because the pain is so bad. His chest heaves up and down and all concept of who he is has left him.

Oh god the _pain_ was incredible.

When he'd caught his breath he began to push the new bones out of his back once again, feeling his flames rush out of his body and cover the new obtrusions. This fire rapidly turned to skin, a thin membrane covering the bones. He continued like this for a while, pushing and then catching his breath before resuming the battle. The sickening sound of wet flesh being prodded, his screaming, and the crack of bone filled the clearing like a grotesque choir. His blood splashed onto the rock around him and with one last heave a pair of enormous blue wings spread out to a full 12 feet above him. He collapsed against the ground desperate for breath as his wings slowly folded up against his back. It takes some time but finally he remembers he who he is and stands shakily to his feet.

His is Rin Okumura, Satan's ninth son, and he is going to claim his title as king of the underworld. A smile befitting of a demon rolls onto his face and he carefully spreads his wings as a soft light shows itself behind him; a heavenly glow searing downwards like a rocket.

An angel has fallen.

The light of the dying thing brightens his wings and they become a beautiful cerulean blue as he opens them, veins inside dark, criss-crossing shadows that branch in every direction. Goo slips off the new addition to his body and blood oozes out of his back. They're beautiful, as awe-inspiring as his tail is and more. Soon the skin will become tough and flight will become smooth and graceful. Readying himself the newest sub-king prepares himself for flight, leaving only blood and pain in his wake as he takes to the skies of Gehenna.

(And then he promptly falls back on his face, realizing the wings are too new, the membrane too thin, and he too foolish to fly before resting after such an experience. This part of him has not changed.)

* * *

><p><strong>Hartanna: <strong>_Requested that holy water somehow gets on Rin's tail. (I may actually do a full chappy on this in the future.) _

The appendage moved back and forth, left and right, this way and that way as its owner leaned on the desk with a look of disgust twisting his features. One Rin Okumura was not pleased by the homework he had been given today. How was he supposed to know who 'Kadolon' was? It wasn't like he'd been in class to learn that today! Geez. And Yukio of course wasn't anywhere nearby either. Was he supposed to make the bastard dinner or not?! He growled at the vile piece of elusive paper, as though it would solve the problem for him.

Outside this year's biggest thunder storm was raging too, throwing rain and wind around and lighting the sky with lightning. A boom sounded and a brief flash illuminated the room as the elder Okumura looked to his watch; _5:40_. Tche, and Yukio _still _wasn't home. Granted that could just be because of the extra demons out tonight but still, he could at least let Rin know first. Grumbling something he turns around and suddenly finds himself facing Shura, who has poked her head passed the door.

"Woah, shit!" he cries.

"Nyehehehe~" she laughs, "come on scardy-cat, the other exwires haven't had dinner yet," she walks into the room, "They'll be over for tonight only since Magot seems to have come for a brief visit. That thing is way too big for them to handle. Your brother should be back soon too," she explains before he can ask. The red head grabs him and begins to haul him towards the door when Rin's tail thrashes. It lurches up and slams against the underside of the table in surprise, knocking over a jar of holy water Yukio kept on his desk for emergencies.

A pain like nothing he has ever experienced before brings him down to his knees in a heartbeat, his tail writhing and squirming tightly like a wounded snake. He's so stunned and overwhelmed that he can't even scream, his mouth open in a soundless wail. "Rin!" Shura's voice barely registers and the next thing he knows he's thrown into darkness.

When he wakes up he feels incredibly drowsy and the world around him is spinning. He doesn't feel attached to his body and there is weightlessness to his frame. It's as though there are no bones left in his body and he somehow he feels incredibly relaxed. His entire body is tingling, like that sense you got when you're leg or arm falls asleep. But he was too tired to really care about it. His thoughts were muddled and strange, like a thick veil draped over his mind. A gentle touch had his tail secured and he could feel something extremely cold being wrapped around it. It was almost as though ice water was being pulled over it but instead of it running down and off his tail it remained in the shape of some kind of band. Maybe like a gel pack. He shifted a little and his tail tried to pull itself towards him but the hand tightened its grip. Rin is too disoriented to make out the smells around him but he thinks he can catch the scent of pineapple in the air. A pain in his tail makes him flinch and attempt to bring it inwards again but just as before there is a hand to keep it still.

"Shiemi-san, check his temperature please," he hears a voice he thinks he should recognize and there's a high pitched squeak that makes him cringe.

"Y-yes," another says and pushes forwards off a chair. A cool hand places itself against his forehead and very, very lightly Rin's tail wags a bit. There's almost even a purr at the back of throat with how wonderfully cool the hand feels. "He still feels pretty hot…"

"I see, could you please go and ask Ukobach to make him some tea? He'll know what kind."

"Of course!" There is the sound of feet scuttling away and leaving Rin alone with someone he knows he's supposed to know. A very long period of silence falls upon them.

"I'm so sorry, Nii-san. I'm sorry," and Rin can't work up enough muscle control to tell him it's not his fault.

* * *

><p><strong>MaiaLynn: <strong>_Asked me to write about the others finding out how ruthless Rin's training is._

Branches scraped against his face, leaving pieces of twigs in his ears and shirt as he raced through the trees. The only thing keeping leaves and other things from getting in his facial orifices is his right arm swung over his face. His other is busy gripping the Daitengu's neck, both feet pressed into it's back and the Kurikara clutched in his hand. The wind and branches rush passed him rapidly and the creature corkscrews in an attempt to shake him off but Rin just presses himself closer and grips it harder, using his flames to push them both forwards even faster. Shura had made the situation sound pretty dire over the phone, though he wasn't certain if it really was just yet since he'd been in the middle of battling this thing when she called.

Today was an independent training day for him as Shura had been asked by Yukio to join them. She was a snake expert and they were looking for a nozuchi after all. His heart almost stopped when the land before him disappeared and the creature was roaring down the side of a very large cliff. He clenched his teeth and pulled against it's neck, forcing the creature out of its dive. At least they were heading in the right direction. It whirled and threw itself towards a rocky alcove, hoping to scrape him off against it. Cursing, Rin leapt over it and landed on the Daitengu's back once more. It immediately went back into a dive and corkscrewed around several times. Before it could hit the ground though, it abruptly turned upwards, very nearly dislodging Rin in the process. But he managed to stay on and kicked it in its side, growling; _head left and up!_ It shrieked and would not have done as he ordered if he hadn't performed that kick. It was a good thing he'd done this before.

Quickly the two of them soared up the adjacent cliff, a mile away from where they'd first flown off of in less than a five minutes. He could smell the death worm from here- geeze it was a big one. Normally these things were indigenous only to deserts but he'd learned only a few days after first coming here that there was such a thing as a forest death worm- though they were rare- and they were quite big. They didn't spit corrosive acid but they had _a lot more teeth_. The Daitengu obviously sensed the same thing and if _it _wasn't happy with heading towards it then you knew that you were up against something big. It shrieked and burst over the edge, giving Rin a perfect view of his enemy. It was beyond enormous; twice as large as your average house and more than four times hungrier than a bull elephant. Trees had been uprooted and rocks had broken way when it surfaced. This creature was a pale brown-ish pink color, its lips were black and it's mouth wide, large, and round. Inside it's gaping maw several rows of teeth rotated counterclockwise to each other.

At the edge of the cliff Rin could see his friends standing, cornered by the beast. Shura had drawn her sword and Yukio was of course unable to do anything with the bullet's he'd brought along. To defeat this thing he would need something like an elephant gun. Throwing a grenade into it's mouth had slowed it down a bit but after it recovered the creature's temper had been even worse.

He forced the Daitengu to fly closer, close enough for him to jump from one demon to the next. Twisting in mid-air he hurled his sword into the thick flabby skin farther down and then positioned himself to land on the blade. A combination of gravity, weight, and flame pushed him downwards, cutting open the thick armor and burning what was underneath as he slid down the huge creature. The thing roared and squirmed but couldn't reach him and wasn't able to dive back into the ground fast enough. Stubbornly keeping balance on his blade, it was at least five minutes before Rin reached the bottom and when he did he cushioned his fall with another burst of flame. Whirling, he focused all his attention on the flame to be sure it didn't get out of control. As it grew smaller the beast shrieked, yellow mucus flying out of it's mouth and splattering over the ground. When it reached a size he could handle he left it burning and whirled around, darting straight passed Shura and the others. At least this forest death worm was only an infant, otherwise that would have taken a lot longer.

"Where are you going!?" someone demands, it may have been Yukio.

"To catch the damn Daitengu you made me loose!" Rin shouts back.

"Nyehehehe~ He knows what will happen if he doesn't finish that, let him go." Shura laughs at the various looks of bafflement on the other exwire's faces; Rin just took out the equivalent of a _demi_-god in less than ten minutes.

"Is his training always like this?!" Bon demands and she nods.

"There are days that make this look easy~"

There is deafening silence until Shima murmurs; "Is he human _at all?_"

* * *

><p><strong>shinXlullaby (also Guest 125/13): **_Wanted Rin to be turned into a young teen and the others to have to protect him. (oh man, another doozy) _

No one could figure out how this happened, it just wasn't plausible. No part of it made any inkling of sense because _why the fuck was Rin 12_? There wasn't a demon in history who could de-age people and as far as the exwires knew there wasn't anything that could push you back in time either. Besides, they were still in their P.E. room anyway and it didn't look any different than it had less than a minutes ago.

"What the-?" the kid asked, his arms folded over his chest and a look of irritation on his face. There's gauze wrapped around his throat and a butterfly capture on his nose, beside which is a thick bandage on his cheek. Either he was beaten by someone or got into a fight. But it had to be Rin, right? Who else had that blue-black hair or eyes that held such an incredible blue tint? And that scowl was without a doubt Rin's.

"Um," Shiemi bravely starts, "do you think you could tell us your name, little boy?"

"How about you tell me who you are first?" he snaps angrily and Shiemi flinches back a little in surprise, Rin has never used a tone like _that _before. He's shouted at her before but never with such hate in his voice. Then he looks around a little, "and where the hell am I?"

"Bon, do you know of any demons that could do this?" Konekomaru asks, searching his own brain for answers.

"No," he says, unable to tear his gaze away from the little impossibility in front of him.

"We can only assume that it's something we haven't learned yet, then" Izumo notes, "Tsubaki-sensei put us in here for something but left before telling us what it was. Maybe this isn't Okumura at all but it's actually a demon trying to confuse us."

"Oh! That sounds pretty logical, way to go Izumo-san!" Shima snaps his fingers.

"Woah, wait, what?!" Rin scrambles to his feet and backs up quickly, "what the hell are you druggies talking about? How do you know my last name?" There's a convincing look of fear in the boy's eyes and he staggers back.

"What if we're wrong, though?" Konekomaru asks, "I think we should play it safe and try something else. I think I heard some lore about it in one of the older files I looked at yesterday. If we're wrong we could end up killing Okumura-kun. Moriyama-san, do you know of any herbs that we could use to help us out?"

"I think I may have one," she said and summoned her familiar. While she used Nii-chan to get the herb she wanted Konekomaru turned his attention to the 12 year old version of Rin.

"Hey, we won't hurt you. Could you come a little closer?" he asks gently and Rin immediately shakes his head.

"No way," he rebuffs. "You people are crazy." They make several attempts to convince the little Rin to come to them but like a stubborn mule he continues to refuse. Eventually Bon has to tackle him, forcing him still as Shiemi very gently applies the herb she's chosen. Nothing happens for several moments. Until a blue flame bursts to life and completely covers the boy, burning away a false skin and revealing the real Rin they were looking for. He was glaring up at Bon with a look of grave irritation and the exwire realized he was sitting on his tail. He launches himself up and away, whirling around to see Rin send each of them a look of impressed bafflement.

"You guys _really _have to stop falling for illusionists," he says.

* * *

><p>It's 3:13 AM :D I've been writing since 9 PM :D Sleep is for boobs, I do what I want!<p> 


	42. Discipline and Wayward Thoughts

**WOW, so many reviews guys! :D Thanks! Took me a long time to get those all done. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist **

Discipline and Wayward Thoughts:

Rin Okumura sits alone dressed and ready for a day of training at the hostel's single table. There is a camping lantern on the table beside him. The sun hasn't come up just yet, though it must be five-thirty am. The light is casting eerie shadows over his face and he hasn't moved in over ten minutes- not even a twitch. He's so deep in thought that Kasei, who is sucking flames out of his thumb, falls away from his awareness. As has the light, the sounds of Shura getting ready, the aftertaste of toothpaste on his tongue and the smell of coffee left dwindling in the kitchen.

_I could be dead by next month, _the blue haired exwire thought emotionlessly, _I could really, honestly be dead by then_. He was living his life while he could, perfectly aware of this and trying to enjoy himself whenever he wasn't training. But as much as he acted like he didn't care, Rin knew best how heavy his execution sentence was.

"Put on hold," Shura says.

"You execution has been postponed," Mephisto grins.

_But that's not good enough_, the half-demon growls. His fist clamps tightly shut and he almost clenches his teeth. He let's his eyes completely lose their focus, hasn't realized how long it's been since he blinked last. What will he do about Yukio if the sentence remains and they _actually_ decide to kill him? How will he care for his little brother? That worrisome little brother who refuses to confide in his aniki. Rin's thoughts drown out the sounds around him and his body's gone numb. The world around him no longer exists, all there is is the shadow of death looming over him.

And he wonders if he can't wrestle his way out of this one.

It's _his _life, but it's not his _choice_.

If it was simply death then he wouldn't be so concerned. He wasn't afraid of dying, after all. But Yukio's recent behavior was frustrating. _Something _truly was wrong with him, _something had happened_ but the arse refuses all his attempts of talking it out. If he would just let Rin help him, maybe they could fix whatever was wrong. Or at least provide comfort and release, right? But no, Yukio no longer trusts him enough.

When did they drift so far apart? When did they stop telling each other about their problems? When Shiro died? No, maybe even long before that.

When had Yukio stopped being his brother and started being a stranger? He couldn't help Yukio if he was dead and he needs the other to realize that. Their time is limited, no matter how much the younger refuses to acknowledge it. If not because of the execution then because of the gap.

…The gap had grown larger. Between today and last night, it was bigger again. A single spark flies off his tail. Huffing he shook his head; that wasn't important. He finally looks over to his brother's sleeping form and watches him breathe. Up and down, in and out, inhalation and exhalation. As long as Yukio was alive, as long as he was happy and safe and living _his life _then Rin had no qualms about dying.

"_But I don't want to die, either,_" a tiny, miniscule voice whispers faintly in the back of his mind.

"RIN!" something smacks him upside the head and he flinches so bad his tail poofs out.

Launching himself back out of the chair as far as Kasei- who is currently sucking on his thumb- will let him he stands and glares furiously at Shura, "What the hell was that for?!"

"Lord, I called yar name like eighteen-freaking-times!" she cries, "I was about to wake Yukio up and tell him that yew broke or somethin'." The red headed Knight glares at him with a twisted expression of disdain and maybe even the faintest glimmer of worry. "The hell were yew thinkin' about anyway?" He glowered at her, though it may have looked something more like a pout. She grinned deviously, "was it a guurrrrll?" she inquired.

Immediately he blushed and sputtered indignantly, "O-of course not!"

"Heeeeh?" she hummed doubtfully. "You only live once, it's okay for you to confess you're dirty thoughts~"

"W-w-w-w-WHAT?!" Rin forgot all about being quiet and very nearly shrieked his flustered response.

"Ugh, shut up!" Bon moans, still rather exhausted after yesterday's training. Shura just leaned back and laughed it away, slapping Rin on the back.

"Whenever ya wanna talk~" before Rin could retaliate she continued, "So, what are ya gunna do with the little guy? He's not coming with us."

Rin turned to the hatchling on the table still sucking eagerly on his thumb. He'd caused nothing but trouble during his training yesterday; getting tangled in Shura's hair, biting, hissing, trying to run off- and hell, last night he jumped in front of Rin during a fight! Hence why the little one had become so messy in the first place. The exorcist hadn't wanted the little one to follow them on training excursions in the first place but he couldn't give the hatchling to anyone else because of all the shit Kasei would give them. And now Shura wasn't willing to put up with him anymore, Rin was startled to find that she had at all.

He put out the flame on his thumb and glowered at the youngling. Kasei 'eeped' and cackled, withdrawing his mouth from Rin's thumb and pawing at his hand.

"You're a major pain in the ass," he grumbled and the sound of his voice drew Kasei's attention. The hatchling looked up at him quizzically and tilted his head to the side. Then he shuffled forwards and 'eeped', nuzzling Rin's hand for more. Beside him Shura grinned and leaned against the table.

"Nii-san?" a familiar voice brought his attention to the other side of the breakfast bar. Yukio had gotten up, likely roused by Rin's flustered shout earlier and perhaps needing to use the bathroom. He seemed a little surprised to find his elder brother standing beside Shura with Kurikara over one shoulder and his boots on- looking as he did every morning.

The other exwires were to stay in the hostel all day today as the gathering demon hoards outside would no doubt be too much for them to handle. For Rin and Shura it wasn't as bad as it sounded, they'd just have to be a little more cautious than they had been. They'd have to return earlier though, to keep the demons from realizing that Rin- satan's _son_- was there. After all, the two of them had experienced numerous occasions with demons trying to pull him into hell. In any case, the other exwires basically had the day off and could therefore sleep in as much as they wanted to.

"What are you-" his little brother began but before he could finish Rin interrupted.

"You guys are staying here today, right?" he asked.

Yukio paused and shifted, turning so he could fully face his twin, "you should be as well. It isn't s-" once again Rin interrupted him.

"Yeah, I know. Here, take this," he then proceeded to hold Kasei out towards his brother, using one hand to grab the hatchling by the scruff of his neck and letting him dangle over the breakfast bar.

"Nii-san!" the young exorcist protested with a hiss. Rin gave him a winning smile.

"I'll be fine so long as this runt isn't there to do anything stupid again. A couple of demons won't cause me any trouble and if they do you have my permission to beat me over the head," his elder brother pointed out, shaking Kasei gently for emphasis. Knowing that his brother wouldn't allow him to get another word of protest out without making a scene he gave a long suffering sigh.

"I don't need your permission to beat you," he said tiredly and reached out to grab the youngling. Rin was about to grin and thank his younger brother, tail wagging happily behind him when Kasei reached out with his beak and tried to bite Yukio. Harassing Shura was one thing, but targeting his brother was another matter entirely. And with the stress of the gap's pull on his body, his brother's self-segregation, and an impending execution it shouldn't have been surprising that Rin lost his patience with Kasei's behavior. His adorable baby-powers could not convince the "cold-blooded demon" that his recent misdemeanors were acceptable. And as far as Rin saw things; being forced to look after a baby dragon when you obviously do not feel qualified for the job is in itself unfair and unjustified. He couldn't look after a baby, right? He didn't have that kind of patience!

So of course he yanks the youngling back and gives him a glare to end all glares in the universe, flames flickering in his irises. Startled and unprepared to be given such an intimidating scowl by his rough-tongued but gentle guardian Kasei curls up into a ball, looking at Rin with _wide _yellow-orange eyes that have begun to glow with distress.

"_Oi! You __**will not**__ do such inappropriate things to my kin. Do you understand me? Doing it to my teacher is one intolerable display of disrespect, but to my kin I will not allow it,_" he spoke in a more ancient form of Enochian to be sure he was clear to the youngling how serious he was. (1) Really, if he had a choice he wouldn't refer to Shura the way he did but with Enochian there isn't exactly a way of saying; "fucking stop it before I put a pole up your ass." Well, at least, not as far as Rin's primal instincts knew. "You got it, Kasei?" this time he spoke in English, aware that his brother was giving him one of those stoic I'm-silently-afraid-for-you kind of looks.

A very small sounding 'eep' chirped out of the hatchling's maw before Rin slowly passed him to his brother. Kasei settled without protest into the younger Okumura's arms.

"Tche, spoiled little snob," Rin muttered. "He'll listen to you while I'm away. But if he doesn't let me know," he gave the black infant one more warning glare before finally grinning at his brother and saying, "thanks for this!"

"Alright, cool," Shura interrupted, "now let's go before he changes his mind." She grabbed Rin by the collar of his shirt and the two of them were out the door before Yukio could blink.

"I guess that means you're taking after him if you're causing so much trouble," Yukio mutters and looks down at the hatchling in his arms, glaring a little at him.

Hopefully Kuro would come by later to help look after the little one.

**1 It was either enochian or akkadian. Enochian sounded cooler, although, I think akkadian is a) ACTUALLY a language and b) much older. **

**In these recent chapters of the manga, Yukio has begun to sorta tick me off. Rin might DIE and he obviously knows it. Which may be why he is trying so hard to go to that dance party. He wants to enjoy life a little if he's going to die. Obviously Yukio is upset about something (if he inherits the flames I'm going to be **_**pissed**_**) too, but won't tell Rin. Something the manga really doesn't go into is the effect ALL THIS must have on Rin. It's just like: BOOP, hey, now demons exist. Yeah, your kind of a demon too. Oh yeah, your dad's satan, your foster father is dead, your brother- the closest person you have in your life- has a LOT of secrets he's kept from you, and, yeah, now you might die because someone kinda doesn't like you. SORRY, BRO. **

**I think maybe Rin is still growing accustomed to all these new things and that's why he has a hard time learning them as well. Yukio doesn't have much sympathy for that. …Asshat.**

**Or maybe all I'm saying is completely wrong and Rin is just REALLY FUCKING GOOD AT ADAPTING :D (that's more likely, actually. But, it's boring too.) **

**ANYWAY, here are the reviews that I couldn't PM:**

**REVIEWS**

**FD: **Aww, thank you so much! I know how you feel, I get that kind of result in a lot of fandoms. There's just something I really wanna see but _no one_ has done it yet. When it gets like that I just kinda end up saying: "screw it." Then I write it myself. This is a result of that- of course, when I started this fic the anime only had 9 episodes and the Kyoto arc was only just starting. :)

**Kit Bikyuu: **Aw, thank you! I'm glad that you like it so much! Oh really? XD It's a good this thing has so much on his tail then. But I really think I should try and steer some focus back to his tail, it's a bit hard though. There is only so much you can do with a tail. Actually, he has the ears already. Unfortunately, they don't seem to move in the manga so I'm forced to keep them static :c

**Guest: **(Chapter 8) thank you!

**Guest: **YOYO. NOT FUNNY. XD KNOCK IT OFF. (*is laughing*)

**Guest: **(^^^same person^^^) Oh, you can't work yourself out of this one with pleasantries.

**Elise: **thank you, I'm glad that you like it! :D

**Guest (1/25/13): **(Chapter 29) Some nitpickers like to make sure I'm aware of some things, and I don't entirely blame them. I'd, personally, just get used to it after 40 chapters but for some that little annoyance builds up until they simply can't endure it any longer. Some people simply have a lower tolerance, I suppose. Oh, thank you so much! I was very worried about when I put it up because I felt as though I was being unjustifiably mean to people who were only trying to help me. It makes me feel better seeing that there are those who think otherwise. I'm glad to see this story has such a high ranking! :D Thanks for the review!

**luvthesea17: **Hahaha, well, at least you gave me your username instead of leaving it at guest. XD Aww, thank you. I was worried that I was going to get a bunch of rage for it oxo Yeah, I don't get people PMing me about it, thankfully, but it's still bothering. I figured as much, the fanbases for certain animes are just way too different sometimes. Eh, oh well. ^ ^ Thanks for the review! Be sure to stop by chapter 42!

**Pink Pickles**: Looks like you've disabled your PMing so I'll respond here. Wow, thank you! That means a lot to me! I'm glad to see that you enjoy it so much and hope you continue to do so :)

**Guest (2/1/13): Chapter 39- **Of course not! :D Thank you, thank you, thank youuu! Hopefully that won't happen for a while, but if the manga ends I'm going to have to begin thinking about POSSIBLY ending the fic. But I'm not sure, we'll see. A lot of people feel the same way about the Princess Mononoke thing too. I'm glad that you liked it! :D ¡Gracías! Mi español es muy….áspero. Si no, yo quería dice más.

**Pick-you-up Fan: **Aw, thank you! That's very nice C: I means a lot to me to read that from you. I'm not sure how many people see how much research goes into each chapter and while I typically don't mind that part of the writing process sometimes it can get very exasperating. It's nice to see that someone noticed it. I do, actually, feel like waaay too many people do romance on fanfiction. It's very dull, I think, to keep seeing that genre everywhere. :D I'm so glad to see that you enjoyed the story, I hope it continues to please you. Thank you, that's very touching :) They are, but like the nagging voice of a four year old stuck on a very loud loop there is a point where you just need the voice to stop. Oh wow, I just can't stop thanking you for all of this. Reading this back in March really lifted my spirits and I honestly can not thank you enough for leaving me such a heart-warming review. I hope you are still reading and have noticed what I've posted for you on chapter 42. I hope to hear from you soon, thank you so, SO much for your awesome support.

**Kuroneko: **Pff, lazy peoples. I KNEW IT! I generally don't like using Google translate much but recently I haven't had much of a choice. I DEFFINATELY knew there was SOMETHING wrong with it, thanks so much for pointing that out! Thanks a bunch, I'll get right on fixing that.

**RinOkumura4ever: **Sure thing! There is only so much I can keep doing with his tail but I will do my best! Thanks for the review!

**Guest (7/10/13): **Woohoo~! I'm glad you like, thanks for reviewing!

**Wolfeclipse25: **Hahaha, he's cute, isn't he? :D I'm glad he's receiving so much love. Thanks for the review!

**Kk bk: **I don't want my reviewers to kill me so, he will stay for a bit. XD

**Guest: **(chapter 29) I need to re-write that part, make it leave more of an impact. XD

**Guest: **(chapter 39) Hahaha, I'm glad you like! :D

**SpazzyLazzy105: ** Hahaha, yeah the intention is for all of these to be for Ao No Exorcist anyway ;) I've been wanting to do a nightmare story for a while, I'll keep your idea in mind! Thank you taking the time to leave it for me to read :) You too! (haha, its no problem!) Thanks for the review! 


	43. The Parade of Bruises (Formerly Ch 44)

**It should be illegal to make someone perform any sort of work when they've had four hours of sleep. *yawns* maaan, I have SO much to do today, why did I have to wake up at 3 AM? I've tried really hard to get back to sleep but nyyeeeaarhgakgdjsgepgoijgldgiegfli WHY LIFE?! **

**Disclaimer: I don't. Own. Shit. Well, except for Kasei. Wherearemybabypics? **

The Parade of Bruises:

It was probably the most relaxing day in Bon's entire week. He got to sleep in as long as he wanted to, had nothing really big planned for the day, and when he got up breakfast had already been prepared. It seemed that the eldest Okumura had risen even earlier than normal and, left with nothing else to do, cooked breakfast for the rest of them. He recalled listening to Rin get up that morning and feeling a drowsy stab of pity for him- he'd seemed even more exhausted last night then any of them in that onsen. And yet, there he was, at o' dark thirty in the morning once again.

All day he'd watched Okumura-sensei babysit the hatchling, surprised to find that he had no problem with Yukio's presence until Rin's familiar came through the window and took over, snuggling up with the youngling and spending the rest of the day sleeping. After breakfast they had gone over a few notes, listened to a lecture from Yukio and then just sorta chilled. The observant monk had noticed a somewhat disgruntled air about the young teacher today, he seemed distracted. Shiemi had expressed her worry to Rin at some point before the group had ever come to the hostel and Rin had shrugged it off. But the blue-haired exorcist was out of it too. Something was wrong with the two brothers.

Rather than Yukio, Bon was more worried about the elder. Rin was getting worse. He'd listened to him this morning, pretending to sleep while the other moved then paused for a long time, then moved, then paused. And when it had all stopped he dared to look over his shoulder and froze at the sight of the teen sitting at the table staring into nothing. All the life in his eyes had been gone in those moments.

"Ah, Koneko-san's the old maid~!" Shima's exclamation drew him back to the present and he focused his attention back to the card game they had preoccupied themselves with.

"Ah!" Konekomaru noticed and Shima grinned. Shiemi flushed and glanced between her cards and those in the center, still trying to understand the game. Izumo simply huffed and moved to pick up another card. (1) Across the room Yukio fed the fire and glanced out the window, watching the snow fall with a worried eye. Yesterday had been warm, like summer, but today it was wintery and cold as hell. Damn this mountain. It was already past 6 and neither Shura nor Rin had appeared. He glanced out the window too, scowling. _Where the hell is that asshat? _he wondered irritably.

"They've been gone a long time, I wonder if they're okay out there," Konekomaru murmurs beside him, noticing Bon's glance.

"Tche, probably got himself frozen solid," he growled and turned back to the game. The bald monk glanced worriedly at him and let his gaze linger a little longer on the window before he also returned to the game. They were all worried about the duo- well, maybe not Takara, who was sitting in the corner on his own just as usual- but there was nothing they could do. It was frustrating but they would just have to wait.

So, they did.

For a half an hour.

Then an hour.

And then two hours.

Until _finally _the door to the bathroom swung open with a bang- not unlike the sound of a rifle firing and the two stumbled out, Shura scrambling up and shutting the door with a loud curse. A flurry of snowflakes twirled into the hostel as she slammed it shut and closed it with her keys and a sutra. Then she whirled around and slid down the door.

"Whew," she panted, "thank God Mephisto picked up the phone and actually opened the connection for us, I had no idea that guy was _useful _for anything!" she gasped. Yukio gave her a quick examination and found that aside from a couple of minor cuts and bruises, maybe a minor freeze-burn here or there, she was fine. Rin, on the other hand, laid with his back to the floor, his eyes closed and looking very much unconscious. His face seemed pale and there was ash smeared across it. His body was dripping wet with sweat, blood, and snow.

"I'm done." He said simply. Not as a factual statement or observation but as a demand.

Shura laughed, "yep, yewr good for the rest of the night."

"Fuu-Yukio, I'm fine," Rin muttered and opened an eye to look up at his fussing brother.

"Suguro-kun, can you add a few more logs of wood to the fire, please? Shiemi-san can you summon some aloe and calendula from Nii-chan?" The exwires blinked and nodded.

"Ou," Bon grunted in agreement and turned to the fire while Shiemi summoned her familiar.

He turned towards Shura then, "there is still hot water for a shower."

She hissed, "damn, there's only one bathroom. Who goes first?" Rin gave his response by lighting his body up in blue fire. "Hehe, yar a doll," she grinned foxily and entered the bathroom. Yukio allowed her to go first, knowing that she needed the bath more. Then he moved to help his brother up, unbothered by the flames. But before he could get him standing, Rin was approached by Kasei.

"Um," he began to say as the little one wobbled unsteadily towards him.

"Heh, heh, is he sleepwalking?" Shima asked, now standing outside the closed door. His eyes were half-open and his wings pressed close against his back, swaying a little on his paws. Curiously, Rin lifted himself up onto his elbows trying and failing to hide the quivering of his over-taxed muscles in the process. Kasei didn't notice his guardian's exhaustion in the face of his own and blearily climbed up onto Rin's chest, curling up into a ball and falling asleep right then and there. The older demon just looked at him awkwardly, not sure what to do, before his arms gave out and he collapsed against the ground again. "Kaaseeiii," he grumbled. All the response he received was a simple flutter of Kasei's wings. "Yukio, you'll have to drag me."

Yukio sighed and pushed his glasses farther up his nose. Bravely reaching down he plucked Kasei from Rin's chest, watching the little one move impulsively to bite him. He barely stopped a few inches away from the younger Okumura brother's wrist, knowing that his blue haired tamer was glaring at him from the floor. A short keening sound came out of his mouth when he was handed over to Kuro but Yukio ignored it and offered a hand to his brother. Grateful, Rin took it and let his younger sibling haul him up.

"Here," he heard Bon say and easily caught the towel thrown his way. Rin was too drained to bother with asking where it had come from and simply began using it to dry off his hair. Yukio moved away to get his brother a blanket, a change of clothes, and a first aid kit, muttering something about how he'd _told _his brother not to go out today. Meanwhile, said elder was walking into the kitchen and heading towards the coffee pot, yawning largely and listening to Kuro tell him about his earlier hunt.

"Are you okay, Okumura-kun?" Konekomaru asked worriedly and he looked over to the bald monk standing at the end of the breakfast bar, Shima and Bon hovering behind him.

"Hm?" he asked. His body had gone into autopilot, grinding up the coffee beans and putting them in a french-press. Shiemi had sat down at the table behind him, summoning up various herbs for frost bite from her familiar.

"Oi, did your brain freeze or something?" Bon scowled and Rin glowered back.

He opened his mouth to retaliate but rather than his voice it was Yukio's that sounded, "Okumura-kun, go and change into these. I'll finish making you coffee."

Taking the black plaid pajama pants and blue travel blanket that his younger brother had taken from his bag, Rin found himself giving his brother a questioning look, "where is the shirt?" Okay, Yukio _had _to be somehow controlling the angle that the kitchen light was going because suddenly Rin couldn't see past the glint on his glasses. A silent exchange of words was passed between them for a moment. His lower eye twitched, "just leave them to heal on their own, Spotty-four-eyes. Most of them will be gone by morning."

"So you'd rather let the ones that don't heal by morning get infected then?" Izumo asked impatiently, "You're not invincible you know. Even upper-class demons can die from infected wounds."

_How did she-_, Rin scrambled for something to say in retaliation but came up expectedly unsuccessful.

"If you really don't want the pants," Yukio began, holding out his hand and sending his uncooperative brother one of _those _kinds of looks. Immediately understanding the implications of his brother's outstretched hand Rin finally sighed and lumbered off to go and peel himself out of his coat, shirt, and change into a new pair of boxers and pants. Pants were, after all, better than just boxers. Konekomaru stared after him, somewhat worried by his unanswered question. He didn't like how unsteady Rin looked.

"Yo, Shima! Hold up the blanket for me," he called over to the monk, who was nearest to him. Since the bathroom was being used Rin didn't really have a choice but to just huddle up at the end of the hall and have someone provide him with a curtain of sorts.

"No way dude," he began, "I'd never do that for a guy." He made an 'x' shape with his arms.

"Like any girl you know would let you do it anyway," Izumo glared at him, "don't be such a child."

"But Izumo-chan!"

Konekomaru, however, knew how stubborn Shima would be about it, even w_ith _Izumo's help. So he sighed and stepped forwards.

"I'll help you, Okumura-kun," he offered.

"Oh, thanks! You're so reliable!" Shima shot him a knowing glare but Rin pretended not to notice and waited for the bald monk to take the blanket from him. The younger exwire took the two upper corners of the blanket and held it up and out so it spread from one wall to the other. He held it above his head as well, knowing, shamefully, that even Izumo was taller than him. (And even though he was a guy, Rin was still a half-demon and you had to admit it was kind of awkward.)

Rin was just about to begin changing when the door to the bathroom opened and Shura walked out, steam pouring out around her. Wrapped in nothing but a towel, she took one look at Konekomaru holding up the sheet and norted at the massive flush that immediately turned his entire face beat red. Then she turned to Bon.

"Hey toss that bag," she said and he looked down at his feet, finding a black tennis bag resting there. He lifted it and threw it towards her, trying not to succumb to his own blush.

Rin peaked up over the blanket and didn't seem even the slightest bit phased by her lack of clothing as he did so.

"Yew'll probably want to shower first. With all that yewr gunna ruin the towel. Gimme a sec," then the door closed and she was gone.

"Oi," Bon began, turning to Rin, "What's that supposed to mean." Rin shrugged and was saved from having to answer when the door opened again, revealing Shura dressed in her pajamas. Not much of an upgrade from the towel, actually. "All yewrs," she said and jabbed a thumb towards the steamy bathroom. Then she headed towards the fire, stealing a few packets of burn cream from Yukio's first aid kit as she did.

"Sweet!" and then Rin had slipped away into the room. Just finishing with his brother's coffee Yukio felt a vein hidden beneath his bangs twitch. Those two had been working together for far too long.

Ten minutes later and he was walking out of the shower as well; feeling refreshed and very ready to pass out. He would have too, but Yukio wouldn't let him. He was ready at the table with a book in hand, mashed up herbs, bandages, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide-pretty much everything you would find in a first aid kit and more lying in wait on the table. It was basically a medical-trap, though Rin should not have expected anything less from his brother.

And, to be honest, his wounds were probably worse this time than usual anyway.

But still.

Shura examined him out of the corner of her eye, watching the other exwires play poker from her place beside the fire. He had been thrashed around pretty badly today and although she'd been watching him closely Rin was prone to getting mysterious wounds while they were out there.

Staring at his brother with an expression between defeat and contempt Rin demanded, "what are you, going to war?"

"I warned you this morning, Okumura-kun," Yukio replied, frowning at the claw marks on his brother's clavicle.

"Rin?!" Shiemi's cry caught them both by surprise and Shura grimaced a bit.

"Woah, looks like Hibagon really got you in belly, didn't it?" She called to him. The three arias could only stare in horror at the thousands of bruises and cuts on their friend's well-built chest. A lot of them had stopped bleeding but a few them- such as the one left by Hibagon- still had a bit of blood oozing out.

"What could you two have been _doing _out there?" Izumo cried, addressing Shura. Disregarding the fact that Rin was half naked Shiemi lurched up and came towards him, Yukio having grown considerably tense at the table. He could not see his brother's torso anywhere past his collar bone and wasn't all that amused by what he was hearing. His brother took a step back and held his hands out in a defensive gesture.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I promise!" he tried but Shiemi was already in emergency doctor mode.

"No you're not, get over there!" she ordered.

He jerked up and ran into the kitchen without a word of protest. When Yukio saw the wounds he sent a glare to Shura.

"Not my fault~" she sang, face turned towards the fire and a can of Chuunai at her lips.

"Take some damn responsibility," he growled menacingly and then caught himself. Clearing his throat he turned to his brother, away from the stares of the other exwires. Rin didn't need to be asked and sat up on the table. He reached around and grabbed his cup of luke-warm coffee, knowingly stretching a few wounds on his left side and not caring.

Coffee was more important at this point.

_Yes_, he thought, taking his first sip, _much more important. _Shiemi stood beside Yukio, knowing she wasn't needed but not wanting to leave. The others just sort of watched from the main room. Even Takara glanced upwards, an almost impressed air about him. As though he knew what kind of hellish training Rin had gone through.

"-Ah!" Rin yelped a little in surprise mid-yawn, almost spilling coffee all over himself when Yukio began dabbing at the deeper cut left by Hibagon using a cloth he'd wetted with some hydrogen peroxide.

"Please bear with it, Okumura-kun," Yukio said, not even a moment of sympathy in his voice. Rin grumbled at him, too tired to complain as his brother continued. When he felt the wound was sufficiently cleaned he examined it to see if stitches were necessary. Happy to find that they were not he pressed a piece of gauze over it to keep it from bleeding over other wounds and proceeded on to the next injury. Unsurprisingly it was a freeze-burn. With all that snow out there the demons that possessed it would be by the dozens and far more powerful than usual. He cleaned the wound as best he could and then grabbed a bowl beside the kit. He'd had Shiemi create a paste for freeze-burns while Rin was showering. Flicking his eyes up to his brother he immediately noticed the tired rings under his closed eyes, how he nursed the cup of coffee in his hand without even the barest hint of pain on his face.

How did he do that so easily? Yukio had seen his brother endure terrible wounds before as stoically as he himself became when lecturing him in front of the class. When Rin took on wounds like this he never seemed to care. Yet, Yukio knew for a fact how much these things _stung _because he'd taken on wounds like this himself and he had promised himself the second it happened that it would never happen again. But here Rin sat, leisurely sipping a cup of bitter coffee and not seeming to care in the slightest.

It had nothing to do with his demon side either; Rin had always been like this. Tempted to shake his head he stirred the white paste with a hand-made herb-brush. It was basically a stick with a thick clump of horsetail tied around the end. Usually such a combination wasn't necessary for anything but really terrible freeze-burns but, knowing Rin, it was better to be safe. He was glad he had taken such a measure as the burn was, unsurprisingly, much worse than Rin surely assumed. His brother twitched in surprise when the cold paste was painted over his wound but only because of how cold the mixture was. He'd been expecting Yukio to put an ointment on it and move on, not lather it in…_whatever _that stuff was.

His tail slowly lifted off the table a little and loosely came around the front, moving around Kasei and holding itself out a ways to left of Rin's belly. It wasn't pain, but nervousness. Rin was anxious about something. Yukio was, unfortunately a little too focused on the task at hand to notice the subtle gesture as he finished covering the burn with the mixture. Time passed and they stayed like this, a common ritual that neither felt obligated to interrupt, and eventually the others returned to their game.

Maybe 15 minutes later Kasei finally worked up enough curiosity to stop staring at another burn wound on Rin's left side and stretch out his neck. To Rin's surprise the hatchling stuck out his tongue and gave the wound a good lick. However, even with coffee in his system he couldn't bring himself to make any sudden movements- well, aside from flinching. Even Shura had already passed out in her sleeping bag beside the fire.

"What's wrong?" Yukio asked and a few heads looked up.

"Mm, Kasei licked me is all," he replied. Outside Rin knew the festival was beginning. His senses had been going a little crazy, following all the demons that passed through. They couldn't find the hostel, though, as Mephisto had placed enchantments and seals around it to keep it hidden. Kuro wasn't really all that interested in going to it this year, explaining to Rin that once upon a time he had gone to it repeatedly and for a cat sith it wasn't too interesting. Speaking of which, didn't Kuro mention something about how dragons had certain healing properties?

Rin relaxed a little and let the hatchling continue to lick the wound, curious about the effects it would have. The pain lifted entirely but aside from that and a bit of color returning to the skin not much else happened. He didn't say anything.

When Yukio finally finished wrapping all the wounds with guaze and applying ointment to his bruises Rin made an immediate beeline for his sleeping bag at the far end of the hostel. Bon was almost convinced that the exwire-demon was asleep before he even reached it and just sorta sleepwalked the rest of the way there, Kasei tumbling along after him. Kuro opened an eye and watched the duo cross the room but didn't leave his spot beside the fire. Later he would get up and bring Kasei to it, pushing him to eat a few of the flames because poor Rin simply couldn't wake up anymore. Not even with the thrill of the festival in the air.

Keening the little one looked between Kuro and the orange flames several times, as though to say; "You really expect me to eat that?"

"**Come on, Rin isn't going to wake up until late tomorrow and you have to eat something eventually,**" he nudged him forwards and finally the little one reached out and sucked up a few flames, bright orange light flowing into his mouth.

Rin didn't move once throughout the entire night, as still and as silent as a corpse.

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><p><strong>1. I have NO idea how Old Maid works and I'm way too tired to look it up. I also have no intentions on fixing any of my errors there for a while. So, live with it.<strong>

**All this research into burn wounds has made me feel like I've got a burn of my own.**

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><p><strong>REVIEWS: (-I've deleted the review page btw. It was sort of begining to annoy the hell out of me :D)<strong>

**Grapes**: He's gunna get stuck like that like a child who stuck his tongue to a metal pole in the dead of winter e_ventually. _And Ukobach is going to have WAY too much fun with it. )

**tsukinopen**: Yep. I had to facepalm a few times when I finished my corrections this morning XD

**Ardent Chaos: **Hahaha, he's pretty cute, isn't he? I have cats at home that act in a similar way, but I'm trying to give Kasei a cat/dog kind of attitude. My cat gives me that look every time I fill his bowl with dry kibble and not the spendy wet stuff. XD Don't worry, weird is interesting and I'm sure you're not the only one who feels that way. (There is me, too, afterall) Thanks for the review!

**Zenray: **Aww, I have all da skillz! :D Thank you~! I try not to keep people hanging for too long but there is that year of Hiatus that I have to make you all sit through. For waiting so long it's the least I can do ;) Sweet, thank you! I'm glad that I captured the intended image right. Thanks for the review!

**Pink Pickles: ***throws up confetti* It's a party! Sure thing, do you want me to just write something for you freely or not at all? Hehehe, thank you!

**caitycaterpillar**: Because he is a stiff younger brother who feels like he should not discriminate or be personally attached to any of his students ;D

**About the Review Page; since I deleted that there is obviously one less chapter so now all these damn numbers are weird. Chapter 44- this one- is now 43. If you've already reviewed for 43 and can't review this one now because I pulled out the Review Page then post as a guest but DO NOT leave your username as just "Guest", then I have no idea who you are. Just put in your username for me ;) Sorry for the awkwardness of that, but that page was really starting to grate against me. And as for organizing things now, I believe I kinda have the hang of it. I respond to the reviews for this chapter on this chapter and then PM the ones not for this specific one. When I started doing all of this I thought that my PM was glitching or something due to an error on fanfiction and then never bothered to check if it was working properly again. So sorry for the mess!**


	44. Nightmares

**OH YEAH. BTW, chapter 43 is different. I finally got rid of the review page since it wasreallybeginingtoannoyme and all. So all the chapters were moved back one. **

**Disclaimer: Yes. You are right, very good. A for effort. **

Nightmares:

_Darkness had swallowed him. Taken his essence and woven in sightless evil. Sounds were distorted and echoed throughout his head like it was an endless cave. His heartbeat was loud, too loud. So loud that he wanted it to stop. Behind the beat there was a roaring sound, like wind and water falling together. An unbearable ache split his head in two and his limbs felt like led. _

_Each step was a chore he wasn't willing to take. But he still took it. Again, and again, and again. Faster and faster, until he was running over the slippery rocks like a bat out of hell._

_Only he wasn't coming out of hell; he was going towards it. Although the Gehenna gate was nowhere to be found and it was still dark as hell he _knew _where he was. And he knew what he was trying to do._

_He just…couldn't…figure out…who he was…._

_Beneath his feet there was a deep sloshing sound, loud and disruptive as he ran through it. Flecks of water rolling upwards and splattering against his pants as he gasped. His breath came out in white puffs of air before him but it was a useless observation. As useless as the rest were to him. _

"You unsightly, _wicked_ creature_," a voice spat above him. Just as all the other sounds it was also distorted, rather difficult to make out the words at first. The tone held the same amount of animosity and disgust that a Southern Slave owner would have for one of his less-than-useful wenches. He looked around but there was no source for the voice; just ricocheting darkness. _

"_**INR!**__" even though his voice was so malformed it only came as a garble of nonsense he still recognized it. It belonged to Kuro. He could make out bleary shapes in the shadows now; large, looming rock walls blanketed by snow and an incredible waterfall pouring down the cliff side into a pool at the bottom where it ran down the slope towards him. All around him thick snow and ice covered the area, little flecks falling out of the sky. They twirled to the ground like tranquil dance partners enjoying their last bit of life before they died. _

_He observed a change in the waterfall. Blood began to fall from the top where it leapt off the cliff and into the pool at the bottom. Panic filled him at the sight but he couldn't understand why. He _had _to get to the top of that cliff. When he attempted to move the weight of his limps had increased tenfold, each breath blindingly sharp, each blink painful. The teen was spurred on by dread as he reached the river bank and flung himself onto the rock_ _wall beside the falls. Slowly lifting himself up the cliff face. It felt as though time itself stopped and decided to wait for him, impatiently tapping it's foot and wondering just how _slow _could the race of man really be?_

_At the same time an eternity seemed to pass, the sun rising and falling. Empires building, reaching the peak of their reign, and then collapsing. It felt as though the closer he got to the top the closer the world got to ending. But when he reached his destination he almost wished the climb really had been eternal. _

_Decapitated heads littered the scene, rolling through the snowy bank and into the thrashing river. Blood fell neatly from each of them as they tumbled, their bodies cold and lifeless in the dozens. Some of the faces he recognized, classmates and teachers mixing with the bodies of people such as Lerry and Jenny in his life. Renji's orange hair and Shishizo's pocket chain. Emily's pig tails. _

_But those, as horrible as it sounded, did not bother him nearly as much. They were just faces of people he knew only vaguely. It was just after he began to make out Shiemi's face that he staggered and almost fell back off the cliff. He tried to move forwards but he couldn't, as though ice had frozen over his limbs. And then he recognized Bon's, Shima's, Konekomaru's, Izumos, even Shura's in the mix. He wanted to scream, but his mouth was frozen shut. _

_As though it wasn't enough to find himself witnessing such grotesque things he felt time return. And something much more than this was wrong. A terrible pain in his chest and head going numb as the sounds around him began to fade into silence. Leaving only the sound of soft wind chimes blowing in his ears._

_He turned his head away from the river bank and towards the tree line as a sense of understanding filled him. A small hand had itself wrapped around his brother's neck, lifting him several feet off the ground. It was a pale, skinny and tall figure with a wide sneer on its face. White ram horns curled out of its head, so large they encompassed its pointed ears entirely. Spikey, silver-blonde hair fluttered in the breeze and a sharp tail whistled through the wind._

"Why were you saved?! You don't deserve to be saved by _anyone_!_" the voice from earlier spoke, but the demon's mouth did not move. He just kept smiling. A sword glittered in his hand, pure and white in the light. He urged, _pleaded_, with his body to move. To stop this senseless slaughter and save his brother from the blade held above his chest. He fought so hard with himself he could hear skin tearing, tendons popping, and bones snapping. Somehow he just _knew_ that his brother was sacrificing himself for his sake and that was _not okay. _Only superheroes did that shit and they were definitely not superheroes, who had given him the right to throw himself in front of a blade not meant for him?!_

_And yet, despite his struggles, as the blade tore through his twin's chest there was nothing he could do. Nothing but writhe and scream in silent agony through the rain of blood. The once pristine blade peeking out on the other side of his brother's chest and dripping long, gooey streams of thick scarlet. All color in him drained out as he watched his brother jerk and choke, heaving in breath after breath._

_He was just skewered through the heart, how could he still be alive?! What agony must he be further forced to endure? Logic told him there would be no hope for the dying body of his brother but his irrational love continued to struggle. Maybe life could make an exception. This was, after all, a mountain where anything was possible. Maybe this time the impossible could occur. But as he watched his twin's blood drip down the blade and soak through his shirt his hope began to go with it. His chest was moving slower, the puffs of white air that came out of his mouth getting smaller. His brother was dying and here he was, just _watching_ it happen._

_In his last moments, the teen turns to him and ever so weakly he reaches out towards his elder. His voice his too quiet to hear but the frozen brother is nevertheless sure he hears his name. A forgotten, helpless tone he'd thought that he would never hear again breaking past his chapped and bleeding lips. _

"Nii-san."

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><p><em>Thump<em>

_Thump thump_

_Thumpumpumpumpump_

_Thump_

Rin shifted a little in his sleep as his tail thrashed about behind him; the only one who remained still unconscious in the cabin. They would have left today but the festival was supposed to last two nights and they needed to give the demon's time to disperse. So the exwires with Yukio would be waiting until tomorrow afternoon before departing. Shura, though, still intended on staying until Sunday, much to the youngest Okumura's disdain. At least she was _sort of _intending on giving Rin the day off.

Sort of.

Izumo put down her text book and looked over to him, noticing Rin's twitching tail with a look of annoyance. It had been bounding about for almost ten minutes now as he was ravaged by some dream, twitching and even growling a little in his sleep. He'd been out of it since last night, asleep when she went to bed and asleep when she woke up. His younger brother had tried several times to wake him but turned up hopelessly unsuccessful each and every time.

"Can't blame him," Shura had smiled after offering to wake the elder with her blade, "He battled hard yesterday." That was doubtless if she was going as far as _complimenting_ someone. Izumo could hardly imagine the things they had encountered out there and after seeing Rin's wounds last night she could hardly blame him for sleeping in so long.

But Bon growled, slamming his study materials on the cabin floor, "Would he just wake up already?! His tail is driving me crazy!"

Shura sniggered, "Makes yew wonder what he's dreaming about over there."

"Heh? Could he be dreaming about what I think he could be dreaming about?" Shima grinned suggestively. Only Shima.

Konekomaru gave him a disapproving glare, as did Bon, and pointed to Rin's tail, "that's not a wag, Shima, that's an angry flicking."

"Could he be having a nightmare?" Shiemi wonders. Yukio looks up from his own book now, carefully observing his brother's twitching tail. Only his brother could interrupt a study session in his sleep. Checking his watch he frowned at the numbers staring back at him; 11:44. His brother had been asleep for almost sixteen straight hours now so it wasn't surprising that with the cloud of sleep lifting he had begun to dream. He should be able to wake him up now.

He stood and hesitated at the angry sight of his elder brother's tail, thundering over the wood floor.

"Wao," Shura's voice broke the silence, "that must be some dream."

Trying not to glare at her the youngest Okumura stepped forwards, this was not healthy for his brother and he needed to put an end to it. However, when he came within three feet of the angry appendage it crashed against the ground with a warningly loud _thud_. Kasei looked up, curled against Kuro beside the fire.

He frowned, "Okumura-kun-" and his voice was met with a final slam and loud crack as Rin's tail came down so hard it broke two of the wood panels in half. He gasped and sat up quickly, staring straight ahead with a wide-eyed look of terror. No one said anything as Yukio came to his disturbed brother's aid, ignoring his tail as it wrapped around Rin's chest. "Okumura-kun," he repeated but Rin wasn't listening, something else turning over in his brain too fast to catch the sound of his little brother's voice.

"Oi, oi," Shura began and Bon narrowed his eyes at the teen, his own thoughts racing.

Yukio put a hand on Rin's shoulder, "Nii-san?" Rin jerked and looked at his brother with a face full of surprise, as though he hadn't known he was there. Then he saw the stunned looks of worry from his friends and the broken floor boards. He almost winced at the sight.

"A-ah," he cleared his throat and shook his head, forcing out an awkward laugh and putting hand behind his head, "heh, heh sorry, I'm fine. It was just a really weird dream."

Yukio didn't bother hiding his doubt and asked, "Are you all right?"

Rin stretched and stood with a fierce yawn, "yeh, it's probably just a stupid side-effect of that weird paste you put on me last night."

"Keh, bullshit," Bon growled but Rin just ignored him.

"What's the time?" He asked, scratching the back of his head.

"11:47 PM" Izumo answered. Strangely, Rin could feel Takara's eyes watching him as he moved past his younger brother to the hall beside the kitchen's breakfast bar.

"Don't forget that even though we can't go into the woods we can still train," Shura pushed aside her worry- she could pin Rin for answers later. She did have some things planned for him today, after all.

"Does it ever end?" he whined, and out of the corner of his vision he noticed a strange glint in his brother's eye. "…What?" the blue haired exwire asked.

Yukio just pushed his glasses back into place, "it's nothing."

"Hurry up and get ready or I'll make yew train in that getup," the red head's threat was true- as Rin very well knew- and he quickly scurried off towards the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day.

Beside the fire, Kuro shivered. Something big was going to happen soon.

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><p><strong>Pointless Note: My cat sat down in my chair JUST as I was about to sit down. So I sat on him. ._. I'm STILL sitting on him. He's purring. <strong>

***groansss* I can't get Shura's accent riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.**

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><p><strong>REVIEWS:<strong>

**Winged Golden Tiger: **Awww, he gets so much love from his fans! Hahaha, I love how Kasei has wormed his way into that mixture! Good, I'm a little timid about how well I'm doing with building the tension. It's a vital component for what I have planned.

**Darkness in shadowland: **Bahaha, he's a pretty little thing so I had to move him off to the back of the chair mostly. I was more sitting on his tail and his paws than the rest of him. But he was pressed hard up against me the entire time and purring himself to death. Sorta like he is now. I'd never intentionally hurt any of the animals in my house ;)

**Alina97**: Thank you, that's good to hear ;) Rubin is happy to be of assistance. But he really just wants me to stop messing with my computer and start playing with him. Sylvester (tuxedo kitty) is normally the man next to me. You're going to get a LOT of it in these next chapters :D

**RisingSm0ke: **Hahahahaha, sorry for the wait. I have actually got quite a bit of things to do now, I wasn't expecting my cousins to come and make a visit. But hopefully chapter 45 is worth the wait.

**Guest 7/19/13: **I saw your review and burst into a fit of laughter. Such an awe-inspiring review! ;D Yes, hello. :D

**Guest: **You're gunna fiiiiiind out. Later.

**Hartanna: **Oh good XD Hahaha, awesome! I look forward to getting your reaction!

**Grapes: **I realized that I hadn't done one for this yet and I was like, buwaaaahhh? This has to happen! And it fits perfectly too so~ I'm glad you like!

**Song of Woofs**: (can you sing me the song of my people? Jk XD) Thank you! I'm glad that came out well! :D

**matthouston**: I'll do my best! ….*evil grin* you'll find out~

**ToscaThorCat: **Hahaha, someone who knows my pain!

**Guest 7/21/13: **Aw, thank you! This fanfic loves you too. ;)


	45. The Countdown: Part A

***whines* I really hate to deviate from the main plot but I just can't help myself with this one. I'll do EVERYTHING in my power to zoom back in on the manga plot when it's over but this idea is just too juicy for me to pass it up! (look at me, I'm like an anime coming up with sub-arcs while we all wait for the manga to get ahead.) **

**Disclaimer: Everyone is going to hate me. I apologize in advance: m(_, ,_)m**

The Countdown:

-_6:50AM, 11 hours left_-

Rin yawned enormously and dodged Shura's back-of-the-head-swipe, "do you just hit me for the hell of it?" he asked.

"Hurry up and stop loosing focus," she groaned, irritated and unwell in the thick of her hangover. A dark cloud of tension hung over the hostel, keeping its inhabitants anxious and quiet. Rin had wanted to train on the roof but Shura absolutely refused to get outside and into the storming weather. The wind rattled against the window panes and snow fell so thickly outside you could hardly see ten feet in front of yourself. If one more thing happened Rin would be sure that something "other-worldly" was keeping the group in the hostel. First the Hyakki Yakō and now a snow storm. It had started two nights ago when he and Shura had returned from their day of training and hadn't died down since then.

Unable to go outside yesterday, the others studied the lake monster Ikuchi while he sat in front of the fireplace struggling to call back his flames. Having fought with Ikuchi before Rin already knew most of what they were talking about- mainly because Shura was shouting all of it at him _while _he fought with the slippery snake-creature. Surprisingly, much of what she had told him had been helpful. Although, anything that she had said that _hadn't_ been able to help him defeat and scare it off he hadn't listened to either.

The blue-black haired student huffed and turned his attention back to the 7 candles placed in front of the fireplace. Shima, Konekomaru, and Shiemi were still sleeping but Bon, Izumo, Takara, and Yukio had woken up. Presently, Bon was eating breakfast in the kitchen with a tense-seeming Yukio reading a book. Takara sat on his sleeping bag with a mug of something- smelled like green tea, somehow- and maybe talking to himself again. Izumo had been the first of them to jump in the shower and, judging by the sudden silence in the bathroom, was almost done.

Shura lay slightly to the left of the fireplace and Kasei was snuggled up against his right thigh. From afar they all might have seemed at peace.

Closing his eyes he focused on the 7 wicks in front of him, easily lighting them up. Then, opening his eyes, he focused hard on the candle in front of him. Shura was stubbornly trying to get him to light and summon back the flame on each wick simultaneously but after almost burning the cabin down trying it they both decided it may be better to go smaller.

Yukio hadn't been very pleased about the effort either.

Squaring his shoulders Rin tried imagining the flames flowing back into him, tried to picture how it may feel to have them return to him. Exhilarating, strengthening, empowering.

The flame didn't even so much as flicker towards him.

He glowered at it, _come back, damn you!_

Still no movement. Trying not to growl he shifted again, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. It was easier this time to picture his flames returning and having watched Kasei suck them up provided a helpful image as well. And yet, much to his frustration the flames stayed right where they were.

"Faiiiil," Shura announced unhelpfully. A vein on Rin's forehead twitched and the height of his flames increased a little. Shura, though, was not intimidated. He could feel Bon and Yukio watching him from the kitchen.

He forced the wicks to go out and stared at them. So, if he got too agitated they would flare up and burn the entire candle. When he thought about them calmly he was able to light only the wick and keep it lit. If he stopped focusing on them all together then they would go out completely. But when he tried to calmly call them back like he did to light them they refused him. When he got angry and tried almost forcing them back they only flared up. Rin wasn't usually one for thinking his problems through like this, so maybe it was pure chance that a light bulb flickered to life above his head.

What if he…

Rin relit the flames and then plugged his finger into the nearest wick. Closing his eyes he once again imagined the flame returning to him, crawling up his finger and disappearing back into his essence. A small spark flew into the fireplace and a sudden feeling of wrongness began to grow within him. He furrowed his brow and ignored it, continuing his efforts.

But, the more he thought about it the uncomfortable it became. Kasei rested his head on Rin's knee and looked up him, 'eeping' quietly. His stomach twisted and clenched. There was a strange pulsating feeling in the center of his forehead. It wasn't that his flames were rejecting _him_, he realized, it was that _he w_as rejecting _them. _Almost instinctively he refused to bring them back to himself and the more he pushed against that primal logic the more he felt sick. Finally, a spark leapt from the wick and touched his thumb. More followed and quickly began to wrap around his fingers, flowing out of the wick and spitting at him and everything around him like a firecracker. Like two objects that did not want to touch each other suddenly being forced to defy physics and chemistry at the same time, they reacted. Rin flinched his hand back and leaned to the side, retching sickly.

Kasei squealed and scrambled to escape the falling sickness. On his other side he heard Shura choke a little on her coffee. Yukio looked up from his book and set it down, turning to the sink and grabbing a rag off the faucet. Wetting it he reached into the dishes rack to grab a clean cup and filled it with water before going over to assist his elder brother.

"Thanks," Rin said and wiped his face with the rag before chugging down the water. "It's fine, I'll get it," he then told his brother, gesturing lightly to the mess he'd made.

Shura didn't follow Rin as he got up and headed into the kitchen, ignoring Bon's look of; you-better-not-puke-again.

"So, what have we learned?" the red head droned. Rin stuck his face under the faucet and rinsed out his mouth, being sure to aim exactly for the drain and then sanitizing the sink when he was done.

"Fire is not meant to come back. At all," he deadpanned and dried his hands on a rag hanging off the counter.

"Very good."

Despite the passing of his sickness, something uneasy remained inside Rin.

-_9:46AM, 8 hours left_-

The floor was as bare as it had been when Shura and Rin had first got into the hostel. Sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows all thrown to the side and why?

Because Konekomaru somehow managed to convince Shima to play around with a wooden bokken that Shura had pulled from her seal.

And then he convinced him to practice a little with Rin.

Oh god.

Shura wanted to see what would happen and Yukio couldn't see a reason to stop it from happening when Rin promised not to use any of his flames. The other exwires stood in the kitchen, interested and out of the way. In the center of the room was Rin and Shima, Rin with the ancient demon-slaying sword; the Koumaken, and Shima with his flimsy wooden stick. To keep from cutting it to pieces the Knight would be keeping his sword in its sheath.

"Okay!" Shura began, ready to begin directing Shima to attack. Rin had earplugs and a blindfold on to 'make things more interesting.' "Go ahead and attack his upper left thigh." She'd at least been courteous enough to show him how to hold and swing the blade a little first so that things wouldn't be _too _easy for Rin. But it was still clear that Shura saw absolutely no worthy swordsmanship ability in the confused aria.

Sweating a little in nervousness Shima did as he was ordered and stepped forwards, lowering his sword and swinging as fast as he could at the other exwire. Rin blocked the blow with his forearm, grabbed the blade and held onto it firmly. He then proceeded to scare the ever loving crap out of poor Shima by pretending to be serious; pulling him closer and aiming the hilt of his blade right between his eyes.

"Dead." He announced, taking out an earplug.

"Gah, whatever happen'ta blockin'?" the red head asked. Rin released his grip and Shima stepped back with a sigh of relief.

"You're balance was pretty bad too," he points out.

"Ahh, not you too, Okumura-kun!" Shima carps. Rin smiles devilishly at him; this is for blaming him when Yukio found the monk's gag-manga disguised porno. "You demon!"

"Heheheh`" Rin laughs gleefully. He puts his earplug back in and readies his weapon, widening his stance threateningly.

"Was this a good idea?" Bon asks Konekomaru bluntly.

"Well," the strategist pushes his glasses farther up his nose and fidgets a little bit. There are certainly many benefits of doing this for Shima, though they may not be entirely obvious to the others. He's just not so sure about how to begin. Especially with that look of vengeance on Rin's face.

"Now his lower calf," Shura orders.

"Which side?"

"What looks less protected?" she counters. Looking back and forth he eventually decides to aim for the leg farthest away from the blade. This time he goes for a more silent approach, skirting a wide arc around the left side and keeping a keen eye on Rin's face the entire time.

A pity he forgot about Rin's tail.

He made the swing and the next thing he knew he was hitting nothing but air. Beside him stood his opponent, tail wagging in a happy fashion and a smile befitting that of an axe murderer on his face. Before Shima could defend himself Rin had wacked him upside the head. Although it was light and would likely leave hardly more than a bruise he still flinched and grabbed the forming bump.

"Dead~"

"Isn't he having _too much _fun with this?" Izumo asks, a bead of sweat on the side of her face.

"Koneko-san, you have betrayed me."

"Aim for his foot _now_!" someone called and Shima did so, out of surprise more than readiness to attack. He slammed the hilt of his wooden weapon into Rin's foot as hard as the awkward angle would let him.

"Ngh-gaah!" Rin cried showily, grabbing his poor foot and hopping up and down. The atmosphere in the air had been thick all day and, suffocating under its pressure he wanted to maybe lift it somewhat. _Thud, thud, thud, _went a barely perceptible tapping beneath him. However, it seemed that other things were going to try and prevent that. His tail picked up a strange, demon-like presence nearby.

Weird, Mephisto's seals reached out for about 5 kilometers in every direction.

"Head!" Another shift in the floor boards as Shima's weight moved to accommodate the swing caught his attention and without really trying he ducked around the blow. With the pink haired monk's belly exposed Rin was ready to bash him with the Kurikara's saya. (1) He was about to when something bumped against the floor boards again and threw him off. He stumbled and fell against Shima, together the both of them fell over the ground in a heap of messy limbs and poking weapons.

"Ow, ow, ow!" he cried and, "Shima get off! You're sword is poking me in the ribs, man!"

As the two untangled themselves Shura came up to them and delivered a hard smack to the back of Rin's head, "are yew serious?! All that work and in the end yew stumble!"

"Gah, you haven't exactly taught me to kill _people_!" he defended, forgetting about the bump almost instantly and standing up. The demon he'd sensed was only a low-class after all.

"I've trained with yew directly!" she shot back, "obviously yew need more work."

Yukio gave her a warning look but he does not say a word. He simply glowers at her and makes a note to talk to her about it later. Or, _try_ to at least.

Kuro's tails twitched and he sniffed the air. Kasei mimicking the movement briefly. His wing had quickly healed but despite that the little one refused to leave them, fluttering around the room on wings that weren't entirely convinced they could actually fly.

The hairs at the base of Rin's tail stood on end and he looked out the window, fanning out his senses. Yeah, there was definitely lower class demon was about two miles away from the house but that was all he could find before he was grabbed in a headlock by a raging Shura.

And the atmosphere seemed to get tense again without him noticing.

-_11:37 AM, 6.5 hours left_-

Rin sighed and tried not to groan, looking out at the falling snow with a thumping tail. Since his nightmare a tension had grown within him, chilling him and making him even more anxious than he initially had been. He'd done a pretty good job of keeping it hidden so far- well, at least that was what he thought. Of course, he caught Bon giving him a look earlier and Shura kept trying to convince Yukio to allow the two to go train outside.

It seems her hang-over has diminished somewhat.

His oblivious younger brother, however, continued his adamant refusal of the matter; claiming that there were still stragglers from the demon festival roaming around. As though they _hadn't already _faced much worse. Although, Rin honestly didn't mind too much, he was a bit tired anyway. Kasei had woken him up several times during the night with some kind of warning squeal. At least, that's what he thought it sounded like anyway. Truthfully he honestly didn't really care all that much, just so long as there was no immediate and obvious danger afoot. He was simply a hatchling, after all. Perhaps he was just dreaming.

He yawned largely and shifted his weight on top of his sleeping bag. Yukio had given him some worksheets to fill out but he couldn't really focus on the questions. It was quite a shock for Rin, finding out that about 70% of the questions he could actually answer correctly.

Sort of, some of them were debatable.

His ear twitched at the sound of a page turning, a frequent noise coming from Konekomaru as he read through some scriptures Yukio had recommended he and the other arias take a look at. Izumo was writing something down in her notebook and Shiemi was in the bathroom. Shura was in the kitchen with Yukio, talking about something he didn't care enough to take note of- something about the higher-ups apparently. And Takara was looking at him again, just from the corners of his vision with a textbook in front of him. Rin wondered why he felt such a need to take note of everyone's positions and why this day was so uneasy.

That force that kept trying to pull him away, the one he'd thought was just an effect of the demon party remained. Only now it was a million times stronger and seemed more connected to something else.(2) If only he could find some excuse to just go for a walk. It was a feeling similar to cabin fever, but on an epic scale. Like he was holding the sand in an hour glass, he felt like he was watching his time slip between his fingers.

Yet, despite the fluttering in his heart he couldn't bring himself to go anywhere. His limbs felt heavy, his eyelids lowering. How much sleep had he gotten last night again? What little time he hadn't spent calming Kasei down was used up with repeating nightmares. Eventually, Rin had had to get up and go to the bathroom to wash the sweat off his face. As he passed his little brother on the way he noticed something about Yukio; he was wide awake. He pretended to be asleep but in reality the guy was as awake as he was. A very strange feeling came over Rin then and after washing away the sweat he headed into the kitchen. A coffee would not do him any good, but maybe he could find that box of green tea bags Shura had brought along for her hangovers. While the bag steeped Rin stood in the kitchen wondering why he was doing this. Yukio had stayed up late many times before, particularly on this trip. Sleep seemed difficult for him to find lately and Rin had told himself to talk it over with Ukobach when he got back, hoping to conspire with him about various knock-out drugs they could slip his brother. The guy had seemed ridiculously tense lately, it worried him.

After a minute he took out the tea bag and threw it in the trash. On his way back to his own sleeping bag at the far end of the room beside the window he passed Yukio again. Wordlessly, he set the cup down beside his pillow so when his brother opened his eyes it would be the first thing he would see. Then he got back into his own nest of blankets, hushing Kasei with a quiet hiss. He doesn't remember hearing Yukio attempt to drink the tea even once and the mug was in the sink when he woke up that morning.

Even more surprising Rin wasn't even frustrated with his brother, just disappointed. But there was something else, like, this almost even nostalgic feeling. It was difficult to describe, but it was almost sad.

He shook his head and glanced down at the worksheet his brother had given him, scanning it over again. With a sigh he dropped it down in his lap and leaned back.

Maybe just a quick nap.

He'd just closed his eyes when he could already begin to feel himself falling asleep. The papers lying on his belly and still empty. He expected to hear Bon mutter something about him being lazy and was faintly surprised when he did nothing more than huff. Did he _look _tired or something?

"Do you know the answers to _any _of those questions?" the teen with a cocks comb asked. Oh, there it is.

"Yeah, but I don't feel like filling in the answers," he replied sleepily.

"Okumura-kun, please have that worksheet I gave you filled in completely by noon," Yukio requested stiffly. Rin thought about ignoring him at first but then reconsidered and grunted a confirmation. He would finish it, _at noon_. Words were exchanged between Yukio and Shura for a few more moments but Rin didn't tune into it.

"Rin!" Shura shouts, "who is Krampus?"

"No idea~" he replies instantly. An empty can of Chuunai hits him in the head.

"Fine, what about the isonade then?"

"It's a giant-ass fish with a barbed tail that it uses to hook in fisherman," he says. "No human has ever seen anything but it's tail and it's scales are _really fucking thick_."

"'fisher_men_'," Shura corrects him. Rin grunts uncaringly and lets himself get a little closer to sleep.

"What's its history, Okumura-kun?" At this Rin can't help but blanch.

"Why would I need to know that? It's not going to help me kill it!" he groans.

"It could be vital information, you may want to know it," Yukio's voice has already faded into a barely comprehensible mess but he can tell his brother is trying to hide his irritation.

"Tche, just let the lazy monkey sleep," Bon grumbles to someone. It's the last thing Rin hears before he falls into oblivion.

-_12:38PM, 4.5 hours left_-

"_Gahh!_"

There was the sound of someone shouting followed by a crash. A harsh wind brushed across his face and something had a bone crushing grip on his arm. He snapped his eyes open, expecting to see a demon hovering over him and the other exwires rushing towards him.

Rin was surprised when he didn't see anything in the room but a group of startled and seemingly confused people. Yukio had his gun drawn and even Shura was tense beside the door, all of them facing him. But in his direction there was nothing there- until he spread his senses and looked to the farthest right. The small figure of a child stood there with a frighteningly large grin smeared across her face. She had large, bug-like eyes and black ears that instantly reminded Rin of a coal tar.

Immediately he realized what was going on; the demon was an illusionist. Rin watched his group of friends suddenly get closer together, a surprised cry coming from Shiemi and several strained grunts from the guys. Bon began a chant and Shima pulled out K'rik. When Yukio fired his gun a little _way too close _to his elder brother Rin leapt up and cursed. The wound on his shoulder already beginning to close, however, the grip on his arm remained harsh enough to pop it out of its socket. A flurry of startled curses flew off Rin's tongue in just about every demonic language known to man. There was nothing gripping his arm that he could see visibly but he did smell the scent of fresh dirt, maggots, and earthworms.

Unsure of what to do in such a situation he attempted to pull his arm free but quickly discovered that if he were to do that he'd be ripping off his arm. Just before he could let loose an explosion of flame Kasei rocketed forwards and sank his beak into some invisible force. Rin blinked and watched a gaseous substance dance out of the little one's mouth. It was like a very thick, oily smoke that curled forwards around a limb of sorts. It's shape reminded the exorcist-in-training of a tentacle. With a flinch it suddenly curled away, seeming to melt in the face of Kasei's corrosive breath. Ripping himself free he looked to the illusionist in the corner, playing with his friends. Focusing his flame he watched the child burst into blue fire, squealing in agony and creating a sound Rin thought sounded a little like laughter.

He stepped forwards to grab the creature as it bolted towards the open window but was unable to reach her in time. Cursing, he put a hand on his shoulder and jumped up. Crouching on the sill he leaned out with his good arm hanging onto the top of the window frame to keep him from falling the mighty height. The hostel was placed at the top of a steep cliff, giving an impressive look of the snow covered valley below. Any human that fell that distance would surely die, but a demon could make it.

"Tche, got away," he grumbled, tail swaying back and forth.

"Rin?!" someone cried- probably Shiemi- and he turned his head over his shoulder.

"Ah?" he asked.

"So it was just an illusion," Izumo realizes.

"I thought something was weird about that," Shura says, "damn, that was a good one."

At first, Yukio doesn't say anything as Rin jumps off the window sill, closing it behind him. But when he noticed his brother cupping his dislocated shoulder he chooses to speak up.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" he asks.

"Something dislocated it," the blue-black haired exwire grunted and without waiting a second to think about it first, pops it back into place. Biting his tongue and bending himself in half a little to keep from cursing he perks back up an instant later and says; "problem solved." For once, Yukio does the unthinkable and leaves it at that.

"Sensei, I thought this place was protected against demons, how did that thing get in?" Bon is looking at his teacher with a look of seriousness and a subtle tint of anxiousness, the other arias sharing his expression.

"Geh, one of the wards out there is probably messed up 'cause of the storm," Shura answers for him. "Rin, we'll go out n' fix it."

"Absolutely not," Yukio's voice is firm.

"What- why?!" she demands.

"Because someone should stay and keep an eye on the exwires, I'll go find the page," he says, bending over his luggage and pulling out several new clips.

"Yukio, what the hell? Rin n' I have been 'ere a week longer than yew, we know these trails better. We also know the demons better- _and _Rin will be able to sense where the page is!" the swordswoman argued. She'd noticed a considerable change in Yukio recently, especially around that upcoming True Cross festival.(3) He was tense and beginning to make some shady decisions. And of course the damn recluse refused to talk about it. But this was definitely the worst. Yukio, no matter what, did not make a habit of being unreasonable.

"With all due respect, Kirigakure-sempai, they are my students," he says lamely.

"They're my students too, Scardy-Cat-Four-Eyes!" she growls. The exwires stand off to the side, watching with growing unease as the argument escalates. Shiemi glances over at Rin but he does not return her gaze- too busy examining his brother.

Logically, Yukio makes a point, "And what if the two of you are attacked and unable to make it back? Then we will be short of the only two people capable of close range combat." He seemed to be ignoring Shima and Kamiki in that sentence though.

"Oh, so that makes it okay to risk losing our only Dragoon? It's not a game of gorr'am chess!" Something flashed in the youngest Okumura's eyes as he put on his leather pallet. "Did Mephisto even tell ya where all the seals are anyway?"

"I have a map," he explains and pushes his glasses back into place, "I'm not so foolish as to run into a battle without being prepared first." He gives Rin a pointed glare at this, securing his guns into their holsters.

"Yew could have fooled me."

"What do I have to do with this?" Rin scowls back at his brother and Bon almost physically feels the air get colder around the two of them. Yukio doesn't dignify him with a response and instead chooses to ignore him. A vein twitches on the black haired individual's forehead, "oi, listen to me when I'm talking, Spotty-Four-Eyes."

"Childish name calling isn't going to get you anywhere, Okumura-kun. I ask that you refrain from such immature methods."

Rin blinks at him, dismayed, confused, and angry. Was this really Yukio?

"This is ridiculous," Shura growls, her patience thinning, "oi, Yukio!" The younger ignores his superior and heads for the door, all decked out and ready to go. The elder Okumura waves her away with a subtle movement and follows his brother. _I got this_, his silent gesture says.

Rin lets his brother get out the front door, hearing it slam closed behind him before grabbing him back, "hey, what's wrong?" he demands, almost shouting above the raging winds.

"Nothing is wrong, Okumura-kun," but the brown-black haired exorcist is gritting his teeth. He pulls against Rin and tries to get out from under the cabin's over-hang but his brother pulls him back.

"That's complete bull and we both know it!" Rin grabs his other shoulder and yanks him back, "what the fuck aren't you telling me?"

"I hate you."

Yukio's response completely throws Rin off course; all he can do is stand there as his lovable, kind, and all-grown-up little brother finally whirls on him.

"I hate you for all the things you do! You _never listen_ to a single thing I tell you- rather you do the exact opposite on purpose!" He steps closer to Rin, "do you realize how many lives you've endangered with all of your thoughtless misdemeanors?! I can't count them, Rin. And I certainly can't keep worrying about them. _You need to grow up_ and realize that there are bigger things than yourself. I've got too much on _my _plate to deal with, did you ever think of that either?" His elder brother opens his mouth but can't get a word out before Yukio is continuing. "This isn't my burden. I've got enough other problems to carry, ones that I shared with father- the man _you _killed," Rin flinches, "It's my life and I want to live it without having to always worry about my immature e_lder _brother. If that means I need to carry off in a blizzard into an upper-class forest infested with demons and try to find a tiny piece of seal-paper just to get some time to _myself _then fine!" The biting chill of the forest could not compare to that of the one surrounding the brothers. Rin searches his brother's eyes, baffled and speechless. Yukio's irises are shaking, a key proving just how angry and true his words are. For a very long moment there is nothing but the shrieking wind and stinging snow around them. The area suddenly seems much, much darker to Rin, like a cloud passing over the sun.

Wow.

Finally, his brother turns away and walks into the snow. "Stay here," he says, but his voice is too quiet for Rin to hear.

"Take…care…" he says weakly.

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><p><strong>1. Saya: scabbard<strong>

**2. This is also connected to Rin's perception of "the gap"**

**3. When is that festival even supposed to take place? Because I can't find the answer…If you know what it is then think of it this way; the cabin-mini arc thing I have going on here is a few weeks before it. Sorry ;P **

**.x. Eheheheh….**

**Getting Yukio to pointlessly argue was HARD. I'm rather disappointed with how I captured it. *hides shamefully* A lot of it is reliant on how well I performed the tension in the other chapters. I've also gotta bring out more of Bon's character, I haven't been writing him right. He's in character, but I'm forgetting about other PARTS of his character. I look forward to playing with that later. **

**I really need to keep in mind the fact that he's not always so ANGRY. *facepalm* stupid self, figuring these things out 45 CHAPTERS LATER. (INMYDEFENSE Bon's character wasn't as developed when I first started as it is now.)**

***bites lip* I'm going to be honest and say this chapter worries me a bit. I wonder if I caught everything right….. I'm not sure if I like how I portrayed Yukio…**

**Well, the beta I was going to have go over this retreated into his little hole so I'm sorry if there is anything nasty. Let me know if there is and I'll get it.**

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><p><strong>REVIEWS:<strong>

**GGCharms: **It was going to happen sooner or later, right? Yeah, the same for me too. There's just something about him that bothers me. Wow, really? Thank you! :D That's probably because I hate him too and portray him like that XD It's pretty interesting. I will!

** : **Really?! Sweet! I first wrote it and was like; oh, no way, this is not going to work out. So this here is the rewrite. But since it was so big it was a bit hard to correct and make sure everyone was in character, etc, etc. The next part of this was too fun for me to write, I think.

**Grapes: **(graaaapppees) Oh good! "end of the countdown"…..*evil grin creeps onto face* my god, I am a TERRIBLE person. .o.

**Guest: **I'm certainly trying. I wish I could update even faster but I'm busy as heck right now. Thank you! :D

**Pink Pickles: **I try to at least :) He does sort of have a bit of a right to, considering, but he could be better about it. Oh, thank you! I'm sort of digging myself into a little hole though. I'll have to have our mysterious Mehpy pull me out of it.

**Winged Element: **(you will) It does a little bit, doesn't it? Especially when they're so slow. Ahaha, don't worry, I love reading your reviews! :D Thank you!

**CrimsonQueen24: **I did? Oh good, he's a difficult character to write so I'm a bit tilted when it comes to his personality. Oh, HE WILL. Imma make sure of it XD at least, until the manga continues with whatever it's doing and I have to get back to it. I think a few things may have to stay a bit different in Demon's Tail though, considering what I'm about to do to Rin. Aw, thank you! I try to post them quickly for at least 2 weeks a year!

**Winged Golden Tiger: **I'm not giving anything awayyyyy. Okay, cool. He does have these little anger bursts every now and again but I was worried that I got too carried away with it. (I did get you're PM! :D I keep forgetting to put the link up though! D: Dammit, self! I'll do that asap!)

**RisingSm0ke: **Hahaha, you are welcome. He's just very confused and that confusion is what annoys me about him. There are those who do enjoy his character though so I can't get too carried away. Wait, I already have. Oopse. Well, I'm glad you liked it :)

**Zenray: **Kasei is cute, but he's gotta act tough sooner or later. He is being raised by Rin after all. Poor Yukio just sort of snapped in half ^ ^; Sure thing!

**ToscaThorCat: **Hahaha, the next chappy is up!

**Swift-Star9: **Is it? I thought they were still preparing. Huh. Well, I can use the festival-ish for later. I guess my arc is happening just a little before it. It does! He's like a brick wall, you have to chisel him down to get to him. I think Todou's words act as that chisel. Yup, and I feel as though Rin, being his brother, is able to somewhat read that. Which is partially why I didn't have him shout back at Yukio as he might have done otherwise. Unfortunately no Todou appearances I think. He is a part of something else entirely in the manga and if I use him I might deviate myself away too far. Otherwise I'd squeeze him in. I don't know, I MAY be forced to but I'm going to try not to. I will!

**An-chan95: **Bahahaha, he does. Going over reviews for the next chapter is going to be…..interesting. A lot of people are upset with the guy right now, I am one of them. But I am going to be sympathizing with the guy in the next few chapters because of what I do in chapter 46 .x. They do, and I think it's Yukio's turn for that. We're all wondering that XD Hahahahahaha *hugs back* I updated as soon as I could!

**Aesir23:** Oh that's awesome! Thank you so much! I've noticed that in my previous chapters I never really brought that out for any character but Rin and wanted to try and tackle an analysis on the other guys as well. It's a bit daunting when you're doing them all at once so I have to be very careful about what I do. It's nice to know that it pays off. :)

**FairoNeko: **Sweet, thank you! Awesome, I'm glad that I've captured the realism well! I'm always careful about that.


	46. The Countdown: Part B

**I really mean it, people are going to get ticked. Probably for several reasons. **

**When the count down is over you should probably open this song up in a separate tab and listen while you read. You know, for effect :) : www . youtube watch ? v = tOsXAUFbCQU & list = PLWVpG 8 Vacy PTM 1 CL1Ewtx LkTmz4ENJtUa**

**Or look up on Youtube: Ao no Exorcist the Movie Sountrack Track #12 – BLUE**

**DO IT.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ao No Exorcist

The Countdown: Part B

-_12:43PM, 4.4 hours left_-

Rin simply stood there for a very long time- he wasn't sure what the exact amount was. He just registered Kuro coming up beside him and rubbing against his leg, purring comfortingly after what felt like an eternity. The biting winds and the snowy chill wasn't enough to grab his attention away, nor was the sense of far off demons. But the warmth of his companion's nose caught him back and he looked down, numb.

"**Rin, do you want to go for a run with me?**" his sith asks, looking up at him with concern in his green eyes.

It takes a bit before Rin figures out where his mouth is and he forces a small smile, "S-sure. That sounds pretty good." There is a big _poof _and the transformation smoke is quickly whipped away by the winds as Rin climbs onto his familiar's back. He doesn't think to leave a note or tell Shura where he's gone, he just goes.

Kuro is out of there in seconds, flying away as fast as the thrashing winds. He leaves Rin to sort out his own thoughts in silence and heads towards a good cave he'd found during his morning hunt. His tamer's heart beats in his chest and thumps against Kuro's back, the black cat keeping tabs on its speed in attempts to monitor his thoughts without invading them. Rin seems really stunned; he's absolutely shocked by Yukio's reveal. The sith's ears flatten against the driving snow as he shares Rin's dismay. Was that really how his tamer's brother felt about him? Such a sudden animosity had startled him. He'd been sitting on the hostel's roof, trying to figure out the growing sense of dread he was getting when he heard the brothers come out.

His tails shift and Rin tightens his hold on the feline as he banks left a little sharper than he intended. The blue-black haired exwire's heart rate doesn't seem all that erratic, it's as though he's already accepted the fact. Almost as though, as stunned as he is, a part of him has been expecting it.

After about thirty minutes of silent running the cat sith finally sights the entrance to his cave. It's buried deep between the roots of an ancient maple tree and guarded by large baryon stones that must be just as old as the enormous tree is. It extensive network of roots provide a wonderful snow-covered overhang. And, even as old as they are the baryon stones are not powerful enough to cause either of the two harm as they slip inside the cave. Rin still hasn't said anything as he lowers himself from Kuro's back and stands on the cave floor, not all there and seeming too deep in thought to even notice the change of location.

Laying himself flat against the ground the enormous cat looks his tamer over worriedly, "**Rin?**"

"Hmm?" he breathes in response.

By now Kuro's concern for the teen has escalated, he doesn't know what to do with this kind of situation. Though, he supposes he should be grateful that Rin was so stunned at first that he didn't refuse his offer and go for a walk on his own.

"**Are you okay?**" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rin's reply is frustratingly instantaneous.

"**Are you sure?**" He doesn't reply to that so the cat nuzzles his shoulder, "**do you wanna take a nap? I always feel better after a nap.**" If only it was so simple as that.

"Nah, I'll stay up. If you want to though I won't argue," his black haired exwire grins. The black cat frowns, and does the best thing he has left to comfort his tamer. He doesn't change back into his more compact form but instead remains as massive and warm as he is, curling around Rin and purring furiously. He wraps his tails around his front paws and leans forwards, delivering the teen with an enormous lick. His rough tongue combed through the teen's hair and, using a paw he pulled him down against his belly for easier reach. Rin lifted a hand and put it against the cat's nose, pushing him away.

"Kuro, stop it," he says quietly. A small sort of keening sound is released from the feline but he does as his tamer tells him, lowering his head to his paws and leaving Rin to marinate in his own dark thoughts.

-_1:02PM, 4 hours left_-

Shura stands in the center of the hostel with a phone pressed to her ear and an irritable expression on her face, listening to the sound of Rin's voicemail again. She has officially decided that she hates snowstorms with a passion. She's also decided that she hates those _gorr'am twins! _The exwires are clearly worried and stressed, especially since they seem aware that there is little they can do in this situation. Despite this they all still want to go and search for the brothers.

They'd heard the sound of someone shouting on the other side of the door but the wind was too loud and it was too far away from them to tell if it was Rin or if it was Yukio. Though, something told them that Rin had been the source of that voice.

The red head wants to throw the phone to the ground in anger but she forces herself to be calm. Rin could look after himself and so could Yukio, what did she have to worry about? That's what logic reasoned but her instincts thought otherwise. She normally doesn't ignore her instincts but this time she makes an exception.

"Tche, those two will probably be fine," she says to the exwires. "Yukio is a full-fledged exorcist and I've been training with Rin long enough." An irritated huff comes out of her as she lowers herself beside the fire, ignoring Kasei's little hiss. "We'll wait here for them," she states matter-of-factly. She can tell that they want to argue, Bon and Shiemi especially. "If they're not back 3 hours from now we'll go out and look for them." When she'd talked with her familiar this morning it had told her that the snow storm would be diminished significantly by that time, though she honestly couldn't tell how the eastern demon was able to figure that out. Something was nagging at her, a demonic-instinct put there by her childhood and warning her that something was coming. But her familiar hadn't known any more than she did about it.

There was something very wrong about this day.

"Sensei," Bon begins, "wouldn't it be better to at least put something out for them? Okumura-sensei brought a map but that Rin didn't have anything. He'll need something to find his way back."

Shiemi is about to open her mouth and offer to ask Nii-chan for some Eely-Billy or some Mancho-san when Shura beats her to it, "and give a beacon for all the other demons out there? Yew clearly haven't seen any of the bigger-fish out here," she sighs and lowers her head disappointedly, "figures that Scardy-Cat-Four eyes takes baby steps with yew lot." She then looks up at the agitated exwires, "look, Rin and I have been here for over a week and a half and this place is as bad as the Bermuda Triangle. He may not look it but the kid's not bad with his directions and unlike the rest of us he _is _a powerful half demon. He knows more about this place than yew guys think; he doesn't need a map to get back here. Not even in a snow storm. Capiche?"

Bon doesn't look completely satisfied but there is little he can do by arguing.

"We are such unorganized people," Shima sighs.

"It would be easier if there wasn't a snow storm," Konekomaru agrees.

Shiemi looks between her friends and, feeling helpless, scurries into the kitchen, "I'll make everyone some tea."

"Hmph, always causing trouble," Izumo mutters and returns to her sleeping bag so she can get back to studying. Takara simply sits where he is near the fire and remains motionless.

Uneasy, Shura settled down and prepared herself for a long wait.

-_2:30PM, 2.5 hours left_-

The snow bit into Yukio's face as he plowed through the thick blanket lain over the forest floor. It's chill was starting to seep through his coat but he ignored it, he needed to cool off anyway. Stopping beneath a tree with low hanging branches he pulled out his map and attempted to straighten it out as the wind whipped it this way and that. He pulled off his glasses and wiped them off, then replaced them and returned to reading the map. His best assumption was the one in the north. Yukio could remember where it was due to the waterfall it lay near. It was beautiful; he'd seen it on the way back with the other exwires three days ago. The white water tumbled over the edge of the cliff and tumbled into a pretty pool of crystal clear glacier water at the bottom. From there it flew down a rocky slope as a river once again. It was really much more impressive than he could describe, there was just something peaceful about it.

The brown haired exorcist's breath came out in white huffs before him as he put the map away, having discerned that he was indeed on the correct path. Trudging forwards once again he tried not to think about his elder brother and the look on his face when he'd left him. He didn't want to regret what he'd said and he knew that if he thought about it he would. They could address his tantrum later. He wondered how he was going to work his way out of this one without getting too deep in a sentimental conversation. As a teacher he really shouldn't of acted that way.

Yukio shook his head hard, "focus," he breathed and crunched through the snow with his hands in his pockets, one of which was currently wielding a gun. Strangely enough he hadn't faced any abominable snowmen demons yet. It was suspicious as in this weather they thrived. Come to think of it, he hadn't come across anything but a small hobgoblin in the two hour trek he'd taken to get here. He stopped; this was all just too suspicious. Should he turn back?

No, he was only a little ways away from the page. He'd look and if it was intact then he would turn around and head back to the cabin.

It must have been only a few minutes later when he realized something was watching him,, staring deep into the back of his head. He pretended not to notice and kept walking and before he could whirl around and shoot whatever it was that was following him the gaze vanished.

He was once again abnormally alone.

Yukio hastened his pace.

-_2:37PM, 2.5 hours left_-

Shura first began to get major red flags when Kasei lifted his head and hissed at nothing. As minutes rolled by they only managed to get even worse, more and more little red flags popping up in her head at the smallest of things; the window pane rattling a little harder than before, the snow outside falling a little slower, Kasei getting a little more agitated. Knowing better than to ignore her instincts Shura put a hand over her chest and muttered, "_Devour the Seven Princesses, slay the Serpent._" Grabbing the hilt of her sword and ripping it from her belly, something was coming.

"Gather around me," she tells the surprised exwires, a bead of sweat rolls down the side of her face and she grins nervously, "a big fish is headin' over to the party."

"What? You don't mean- like Amaimon?" Izumo cries and just as the exwires have gathered tightly around their teacher the cabin is ripped away with a groan and the sounds of snapping wood. A surprised shriek escapes Shiemi as the building is torn right from its foundation and thrown over the side of the cliff like it's no heavier than a beach ball. All of their supplies and emergency rations going with it. Shura grits her teeth and tenses, shouting to her students to get down and find something to hold onto. For her it's a piece of the foundation that was left behind. For a while all they can hear is wind, feeling splinters of wood cutting into their skin and stinging snow pelting them from every direction with a biting cold.

When it's over the group is left in an open clearing as vulnerable as children.

"Oh? What is this? I'm expecting to find my little brother and here I've found a whore instead~" a suave voice rings through the clearing. It's smooth and beautiful to listen to, holding a psyrin-like charm to it. Shura's head snaps up and she finds herself staring at an unfamiliar figure floating casually above them. Obviously it's a high class demon who's possessed some handsomely chiseled man. He's tall and his skin is a very pale color, almost the same shade as his bleached blonde hair. Even from this distance Shura can see that his eyes are thin and glitter an incredible silver in the dark storm. There's a large pair of white ram horns sticking out from either side of his head and behind him a caramel-white capuche is flapping around. His utilitarian coat is made of some kind of canvas fabric and he looks as though he might've been a hiker.

She makes a quick glance behind her, suddenly recognizing the figure. She could hold her own against him for a while but the other exwires could not. It was like Amaimon all over again. Only this time she doesn't have the holy water, Satan's son, or a barrier. All she's got are a bunch of kids who are in no way prepared to take on another sub-king.

"Yew lot head north to the falls, Spotty-Four-Eyes will be there to protect yew. Tell him what's going on while I take care of Oriens," she orders. Fear crosses into their eyes- good, then they know better than to just barge straight in and attack. "Go! I'm going to catch up."

"Right, we'll meet you there!" Suguro nods. They turn and Bon grabs the pendant he had received from Yukio when he and the other exwires had first arrived, muttering a chant as he turned and ran. They each have a protective charm that will lessen the damage done to them as long as they wear it. It's not as effective as triple C holy water but it works and that's what matters. The other arias follow his chant, Shima for once able to follow along. Nii-chan and the two Byakko are summoned along the way. Takara sticks close but doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. As they run they stick close to each other, forming a circle as best they can around the arias.

Well, at least they are learning something.

The infernal King of the East watches the others retreat; he has no interest in them, after all. The woman in front him will take him to the one he's looking for regardless. "Spotty-Four-Eyes, huh?" he mutters, "this should be quite interesting, don't you agree?"

Shura grins, "Oh yes, this'll be quite the fight~"

Neither of them notice Kasei take flight.

-_3:50PM, 1 hour and 10 minutes left_-

Rin never really did fall asleep, but at least now he's figured out this situation with Yukio. After several hours of thought he believed that he now knew what he would say to his brother the next time they saw each other. He finally understood his own feelings for his little brother in return.

He leaned his head back against a dozing Kuro, a sigh producing a white puff of air in front of him. The blizzard has relaxed and now calm flakes of snow are fluttering to the ground outside the cave. But that doesn't mean the air outside his little cat sith bubble is any less chilling. Even though Rin's eyes are half lidded he still doesn't feel sleepy. Rather, the last thing he wants to do is sleep right now. A knot twists itself inside his belly, nervous butterflies making his heart thrum. In response his tail hugs his chest tightly, the fur standing on end. He feels like a guy waiting to see if he has cancer or not and the results may or may not somehow result in the death of another human being as well as himself. The half demon has this urge to get up and run somewhere but he can't figure out where because a fist is wrapped around his brain and blocking his thoughts.

For a while he just sits there, wondering where this feeling is coming from. But soon enough his already stubby patience gives out and he carefully extracts himself from Kuro's warmth. He'd forgotten to bring a jacket with him so he immediately began to supply himself with his own flame for warmth. Though it wasn't as nice as a jacket would be it was better than nothing- honestly, he really hated cold weather.

"**Rin,**" Kuro's voice is drowsy and he looks up at his friend, "**what's wrong?**"

Rin squints, his eyes locked on a small figure flying towards them. It's difficult to make him out through the branches but judging by the shape he can tell that it's Kasei. The distressed glowing eyes help too. The little one sees Rin and rushes towards him, soon barreling straight into him. He stumbles back with an 'oomph' and falls onto Kuro's horned head.

"Kasei," he grunts, "what the hell are you doing?" A strange keening sound releases from the little one and Kuro immediately perks up. He's listening intently to something Rin doesn't understand- for once- and the elder Okumura isn't very pleased with how big those eyes are getting. "What's wrong?" he asks when the little one has finished his keening.

"**A creature with white- I think- ram horns and silver eyes has attacked the hostel. The other humans retreated but Shura stayed behind to fight it. It sounds like it may be a sub-king. He's come straight from there**," Rin didn't need to hear the rest of that sentence and even despite knowing how strong Shura is he still finds himself shaking off a wave of fear. For Kuro it only took about a half an hour to get here. But Kasei was much, much smaller and he had only begun convincing himself that he could fly _last night_. "**He also says that the she-Shura said to meet at the falls north of the camp.**"

It was as though fear had rooted itself in his heart without his knowing and that sentence had just ripped them all out. Tearing his skin and giving room for a different level of that same fear to grow itself within him. Rin's stomach dropped to his feet and his face paled, images of his friends' decapitated corpses, of bloody snow and water, and of Yukio being stabbed through the chest by a man with white ram horns invade his head. His instincts are absolutely screaming at him now. He feels so certain that if they don't move out now Yukio will be dead when they arrive. But there is still an hour long run between here and there.

"We have to go," he says, leaping onto Kuro's back, "_now_!" His demonic snarl is enough to startle the poor sith into action and he dutifully follows his order, leaping out of the cave with his two new passengers. The tamed demon can feel Rin's heart beat a million miles per second and he can almost taste his fear. He doesn't comment on it or ask any questions because he's experiencing something similar. Only, his instinct is to take Rin _away _from that gorge, not towards it. He pushes aside these feelings though, because if he didn't take him there Rin would just find something else that would.

Rin grits his teeth and Kasei quivers in his arms, eyes full of fear. Blue flames burst out of the teen and help propel them forwards.

_Faster, _he urges, _faster!_

But he can only pray they make it in time.

-_4:00PM, 1 hour left_-

Shura limped forwards, holding snow over a wound on her leg in attempts to help stop the bleeding. She'd already wrapped the wound in what she could of her socks, leaving her barefoot in her boots and leggings. The woman had managed to shake off Oriens in the woods, reciting a few verses to keep him down long enough for her to get away. He was as tricky as she had suspected he would be. If any of them wanted to live through this they needed to get out of here _now. _If only the goddamn falls were not so fuckn' far away from where she had been fighting. The strongest seals were placed with 5 kilometers all around the cabin. But there was another layer as well; from the house out to its nearest point was almost 10 kilometers.

_Fuck_, she thought and ignored the pain in her leg. The other exwires would have reached the place by now and hopefully the Okumura brothers were taking them somewhere safe so she wouldn't have to babysit their asses. She could patch herself up there, use the seal to protect herself and go and find them. Maybe, if she manages to make it out alive. Because it's already been an hour and there is no way those seals will be able to hold much longer. And she's leaving tracks too, damn this snow.

"Yukio better not fuckin' be there, or all this effort would be wasted," she grunted, trying not to stumble. This guy must be at the same level as Mephisto, for Christ sakes. If it had been anybody else out there she could say for certain that they would be very dead.

Her best chances right now were to escape and properly re-evaluate her situation. She still had some holy water grenades; if she could get the bastard to swallow one then maybe she could even the odds while he attempted to recover.

Aside from this wound in her leg the woman was otherwise fine. It was just her luck that she was facing this conniving ass and his harem of loyal followers.

"Damn you, Mephisto," she cursed, a new hatred for the demon and his brothers growing within her. "When this is over, I'll kill you."

-_4:29PM, 31 minutes left_-

They refused to leave. They just downright _refused _to leave. And it wasn't exactly as though they would have much of a chance even if they did; it would take over a week of walking to get back to the main road from here anyway. But if they were with him then their chances where even less likely. Yukio gripped his gun so bad his knuckles turned white, the situation could not be worse. The best he could do for the exwires was shove them all into a convenient, if a little small, cave down in the gorge. It was about a half a mile away and guarded by several emergency seal pages that Yukio had brought along. They were powerful enough to hide the exwires from even Oriens for a few hours. He could only pray that by the time the snow ruined the paper the sub-king would be long gone.

As for him, he stood beside the great trunk of an ancient Japanese maple tree. It had been a good place for the other exorcists overseeing the exwires' training camp to put it as such trees were known as powerful rebuffs to demons. Should he need he could climb up into the tree and be protected from harm. But he hadn't needed to yet as the demons here were few and most of the ones in the area could not even approach the old maple.

The youngest Okumura tapped his foot, wondering where his elder brother was. He'd been livid when the other exwires told him he wasn't with them, that they hadn't seen him since the two brothers had left the hostel that noon. Truthfully, they had thought they'd find Rin already with his younger brother.

His grip tightened again. Of course his brother had to cause trouble by running off again, it's not like his super demon hearing_ hadn't_ heard his order to stay put. The fact that his brother had done this _even after _his outburst told him just how little respect his brother had for him and if Rin could not respect him then why should Yukio? More importantly, he didn't have any of the things he'd need right now if his brother- or anyone else for that matter- got seriously hurt. What had Rin been _thinking_? _Was _he thinking?

Realizing how angry he was getting the younger took a deep breath. He had to be a little fairer to his elder. Rin hadn't exactly seemed prepared for his outburst. So it shouldn't be that surprising that he wasn't listening at the time. If he was going to be blaming others then he should at least blame himself for choosing to speak out when the time wasn't right. He swallowed thickly and looked around; where the hell was Shura anyway? He'd been waiting out here for almost a half an hour now.

Keeping a stoic teacher-face he stared ahead, forcing himself to relax. The white water behind him thrashed and gurgled with spray throwing itself this way and that. It was a fairly high fall from here to the bottom of the gorge and the sound of the tumbling water drowned out a lot of what he would otherwise be trying to listen for. As beautiful as it was the waterfall turned out to be more of a nuisance than he'd thought.

It was almost as though everything was trying to cause him trouble today. He sighed, at least the blizzard had stopped. The brown haired youth turned his eyes to his watch, pulling back his sleeve so he could read the time.

'_4:36_ _PM' _it read. Anxiety filled him and Yukio grit his teeth. He pulled out one of his modified handguns, checking the cartridge.

"Yukio?!" his gaze snapped up and he turned around abruptly. Shura had approached from opposite of where he'd been facing with her footsteps drowned out by the sound of the falls beside him. There was blood seeping through make-shift bandages on her leg and she looked a little pale. But the sheer surprise on her face caught him off guard, it looked as though she'd realized something terrible.

"Shura-sa-" he began to address her, about to ask her what had happened.

"You _fool!_" she cried, "get out of here, he's too much for you!"

-_4:37, 23 minutes left_-

Just as those words left her mouth a swarm of rakshasas, coal tar, hobgoblins, and various forms of upper obake poured out of the trees after her. He jerked and immediately opened fire on them stepping back and readying himself.

_Rakshasas are eastern demons, what are they doing here?!_ He thought, Shura was forced to ignore her wound and grab her blade, whirling it around gracefully and diving back into the hoard. Cutting them down one after another with swing and parry. Rotating on her heals, jumping up and slashing through a larger obake before landing and turning to Yukio with a curse.

"We have to get out of here," she commanded, "we're dealing with one of the four cardinal kings and this guy isn't afraid to summon up friends of his." Yukio grunted his agreement and with one last fired bullet, turned around and prepared to flee. But as he did, he found himself coming face to face with a silver-blonde man. A wide grin spread across his face, eyes like mercury and skin pale.

"Good afternoon, dearest relative~" he sang and with a brutal kick threw the young exorcist into his heard of demons. A strangled gasp explodes from his mouth, spittle flying past as he's hurled back. There's a loud crack and white hot pain explodes through his chest as a rib breaks. Laughing the other demons separated, letting him fall to the ground where they then proceeded to pile onto his arms and legs. Trapped under the demons he was left unable to move, hearing Shura curse loudly. Oriens zipped away before she could finish performing her _garra garra_. (1) If not for her leg she could have dodged his next attack and continued with their battle but the son of a bitch was tricky and he knew that she was handicapped by it. Pinching her wound he smiled at the sound of her pained gasp and proceeded to push her into the rapids. Yukio was forced to watch as she went over the falls.

Orines huffed a little, "quite the troublesome one, that one." Combing a hand through his short hair he looked down at himself, "and this substitute body is horrible too. My vacation is such a mess this year!" The sub-king paused, "Still," he looked at Yukio, "I don't think my plans could be going any better. Why don't we play a little?"

-_4:47PM, 13 minutes left-_

Gritting his teeth he forced himself not to panic; there was a pool at the bottom deep enough to cushion her fall and she was no fool. She could find the other exwires and warm herself there. Or find another means- the point was, she could survive.

He turned to Oriens, glaring spite at him and trying not to cough.

"Oh? You're going to be nasty too, huh? I heard from a weakling calling himself Todou that you were an interesting guy, if a little tricky. Well, sorry kiddo but I don't take too well to family disrespect." The individual slurred an enochian order to his dominions. Like goblins ordered to raid a treasure chest they followed it, picking Yukio up and throwing him in after Shura. The first thing to knock him away was the cold, the pure freezing _bite _of the water as it soaked through his clothes. At most it must be 10 degrees in here. He can't see anything but a flurry of white bubbles and an occasional black rock. But he can't get himself coordinated enough in time to find something to hold onto before he's falling. His stomach jumps into his throat and his heart goes straight up to his head. Choking on a scream he looks down, trying to situate himself so he doesn't hit the rocks but before he can even find them a flying bat-squirrel like creature grabs him from behind and runs them both down into the water. He can feel his arm almost snap and his head wants to pop.

-_4:51PM, 9 minutes left_-

He's kept down by the demon attached to his back and as he begins to struggle several more rakshasas swim down, having transformed into other, more aquatically equipped creatures. Soon Yukio is unable to bear the weight and sinks despite his struggles. His guns are taken from him and so are his bullets. The youngest exorcist is forced to watch as the demons strip him of his holy water and his hunting knife with his chest growing more and more weighted. He needs to breath, he needs air. The demon on his back punches him in the chest and miserably Yukio watches the air he'd managed to capture float up to the surface, deathly cold water filling his mouth. His eyes sting in the water and he feels his body burning before growing numb. There's a muffled squeal of joy behind him and the thing's chest moves against his own with laughter.

These aren't ordinary demons.

They aren't just seeking his blood, they want him to suffer.

One creature approaches him with a pendant of sorts in its hands and before he can stop it the creature has looped it around his neck. His struggles go silent as he suddenly loses all control and mobility in his body, the pendant weighing his limbs down like lead and making his head throb. Each beat his heart makes is thunderous as he realizes; _I might actually die here_. His turquoise eyes widen in horror at the thought,_ I could die and leave Rin with those words to remember me by_. An ache of regret in his chest almost overpowers him and as the demons giggle, finally beginning to swim towards the surface, he finds that he's afraid to die. They move slowly and black smudges have made a noble appearance around the edges of Yukio's vision like smoky clouds. Soon they've spread out and become a mist that is growing thicker and thicker. His thoughts have slowed and time is no longer important.

-_4:56PM, 4 minutes left_-

Suddenly he's breached the surface and thrown onto the snow covered rocks beside the pool. Coughing harshly he turns over on his side with demons flanking him from every direction. He's wounded and defenseless, pain pulsing in his chest and his palm too empty. Despite the dire situation he does his best to cool his head, keep his thoughts organized. There's a gust of wind and he braces himself against it. Throwing an arm over his eyes as the overwhelming power of the sub-king falls upon him. He's immediately aware that his chances of fighting this thing and winning against it are piss pour but he's still wracking his mind for something he can do to defend himself.

On the other side of the pool Shura is also held down. Her sword laying several feet away is picked up and thrown in with Yukio's handguns. He tries to wrestle himself free from the creatures but he is much better fitted for long-range combat than this. The exorcist can't escape before harsh fingers wrap around his throat, a pair of small hands lifting him off the ground. Another order is issued in enochian and the creatures all frown but disperse obediently. They move to keep Shura down and cover the perimeter, guarding against things that Oriens could probably sense and take care of without their help. A silver blade is gripped in his hand and with all this white and silver on the guy Yukio can almost see the newest Paladin in front of him and not a sub-king with ram horns. He's barely shot a full cartridge and already he's almost too exhausted to move. He wishes now that he had gotten more sleep the night before.

-_4:58PM, 2 minutes left_-

"It's too bad, but I had to make this one quick, I couldn't have you trying to fight back," Oriens's voice chimes, echoing beautifully in the gorge. He situates the blade above his chest, readying himself to punch it through Yukio's heart.

-_4:59PM, 1 minute left_-

The exorcist is trying to struggle but he's so cold he can't convince his body to move. It certainly doesn't help his mobility to have this pendant wrapped around his neck. This guy wasn't about to waste time.

-_50 seconds left_-

Just before the blade impales him a series of shouts and squeals erupt from above them. The smile on Oreins' face grows even larger.

-_41 seconds left-_

"Ah, about time," he turns to Yukio, "let's get truly serious now, shall we?" He's met with a spite filled glare of malice but he doesn't care and throws the boy against the wall. Gasping, Yukio is temporarily blinded by pain as his broken rib is harshly jostled. Another agony splitting his head as he lays slumped against the wall with snow seeping through his already frozen frame. When he regains his bearings he's almost surprised when he sees the blue flames pouring over the edge of the cliff.

-_34 seconds left- _

His brother comes flying off the cliff side and skids across the snowy rocks. The second he sees the two; Oriens posed to throw his blade and Yukio against the wall, he goes into a higher gear of brother-mode.

-_26 seconds left_-

Rin shoots forwards and is ready to take the new menace in front of him down but before he can do any more than swing his sword up he finds himself parrying a sword attack from a guy standing several feet away from him. Caught off guard he narrows his vision, searching for a source. Their blades somehow pressed together even from this distance, quivering under the force they're putting into the blow.

_-20 seconds left-_

But before he can figure out Oriens's trick he's slammed against the farthest wall so hard there's a sonic boom as he breaks the sound barrier. The blow drives him into the rock several feet, debris raining down around him and crumbling under the inhuman pressure.

-_13 seconds left-_

"**Rin!**" he hears Kuro call. The teen is left in a crater, stunned and in too much pain to move. Steam pours off his body as it heals but it isn't fast enough and Oriens isn't foolish enough to give him the chance. He's heard about his youngest brother's stubbornness before, he won't die until he forces him to.

-_9 seconds left-_

A flash of silver passes across his body as the light of his own flame reflects off Orien's blade.

_-8 seconds left-_

Rin hasn't been trained for nothing though, and in a swift movement lifts his blade to parry.

_-7 seconds left-_

The grin on Orien's face never falters and, as he brings his blade down a whisper escapes his mouth, "why where you saved?"

_-6 seconds left-_

The blade is coming down and a strangled feeling of relief fills the teen. Yet, somehow he feels as though he's wrong about something.

_-5 seconds left-_

The flames wrapping around him illuminate the look of satisfaction on Oreins's face, this is what he came here to do and he's just done it. His whisper is a voice so filled with animosity that his own blade seems to catch fire, a white flame curling over itself from within the center of his sword, "you did not deserve to be saved!"

_-4 seconds left-_

Their blades connect and sparks leap away from the crashing metal. Blue light flairs up and for a second it looks as though Rin might actually overpower the other demon despite his wounds.

_-3 seconds left-_

The eldest Okumura's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates as he watches in frozen time as the Kurikara snaps before him. His demon-heart breaking right in front of him with shards of glittering metal flying passed his eyes like miniature stars. They play with the white flame inside Oriens's blade, reflecting the light and leaving patterns of white dancing over his body.

_-2 seconds left-_

The pale demon grabs half of his blade too fast for even Rin to see, clutching the sharp instrument of war with a vice-like grip and turning it around. The snow has frozen in the sky behind them and the pieces broken off of his blade simply hover around him. The scene is almost morbidly beautiful.

_-1 second left- _

And then the blade is shoved into Rin's chest, hardly a hair away from his heart. Blood is bubbling out of his mouth and the rosy-red tint in his nose is already going white. There's a stunned look on his face, as though he can't believe this has just happened. That he was so quickly defeated. His mouth is opened a little and his flames have gone out completely.

Complete silence fills the area.

He's going to die, and there isn't anything anyone is going to be able to do about it.

Leaving his half-brother flameless and bleeding out Oriens steps back, observing his work. The teen is completely limp and his head falls against his chest, blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth. He looks dead already. He glances over his shoulder and looks the younger Okumura over, confusion and terror on his face. Yukio can't see his brother because of the utilitarian garbed demon is blocking his view. This should be fun to watch, he'll disappear for now and watch from a distance for a bit before leaving.

Rin won't be able to take his position as king of the underworld after he's defeated Satan now no matter what happens, so there isn't really any need to stay for long. Satisfied, he lets the wind whisk him away faster than an umuki can blink and listens to the shriek of one very distressed Yukio Okumura. His demons have all been burned to death so he leaves alone, glad that he had thought to take these measures before his little brother could become any more a threat to him.

Coughing, blood sprays out of his mouth and over Rin's already bloodied form. He hears his brother scream his name through a thick blanket. Even Kuro's is too muffled to understand. It takes about a minute for Yukio to get to his side, a black cat sith hovering behind him. His vision changes from his own crimson coated chest to the dark sky overhead and he watches, fascinated by the slowness of the snowflakes falling onto him. With the light fading, the previously gray clouds have turned brown and the flakes of frozen water look almost black instead of white. Something warm wraps around him and a strange scent fills his nose; he realizes it's Kuro after a moment. Yukio is above him now, pressing against his chest and a sudden streak of agony makes his elder brother cry out in pain.

But Yukio is too distracted to apologize, working quickly and squeezing every bit of medical know-how out of his frazzled brain.

Something registers in Rin's eyes; he knows that there isn't anything Yukio is going to be able to do to save him. His demon's heart is broken, the thing connected to his very life shattered and sticking out of his chest. Every breath hurts, a pain like a pole being stabbed into his chest every time he inhales seizing his body. Any simple movement hurts him; breathing, blinking, thinking. But no matter how much he wishes that it would go away, no matter how much he wants to sleep he know he can't. There's a buzzing in his ears a strange pull on him, but as far as he can tell it's just another part of dying.

Gasping for breath he reaches out and grabs Yukio's wrist.

Aah, his sleeve is sorta cold. Or is it warm? Yeah, it definitely feels warm, albeit a little wet. A part of him knows that shouldn't be but he's too tired to care about it.

"It's okay, Nii-san," Yukio says shakily, "you'll be alright. You're going to be okay." Rin manages a little scowl, his little brother is intentionally misinterpreting the gesture. His head is on fire and every limb on his body feels like it's made of solid led. That incredible weight suddenly makes itself present in his eyelids as well and they drop a little.

"Yukio, he's-" Shura's voice sounds warningly. When did she get here?

"I know!" his little brother shouts and Rin tightens his grip on his brother's arm.

"Yu-kio," he hisses, turning his head to the side and spitting blood from his mouth. "I-idiot."

"You're going to be okay," he insists," Nii-san, you're going to be okay."

"Heh," Rin's body seizes and he coughs again. _You should know better than to lie, Yukio._

"**Rin- Stay awake!**" Kuro's voice is in his head and it sounds worried. There's an undertone of a thousand other emotions, guilt, rage, grief.

"_Thank you, Kuro, for keeping me warm," _he tells the sith telepathically, _"__you'll look after this guy for me, won't you?_" For several moments he's afraid the sith is going to deny it and go on a rampage, like he did when he discovered that Shiro had died and he's thankful when he doesn't. Instead, he lowers his head, breathing over Rin's forehead and releasing this terrible keening sound.

"**P****lease don't die and leave me alone! I already lost Shiro**. **Not you too, Rin, not you too,**" His sith mewls, desperate. The only thing keeping him from raging out his terror and denial is the dying companion resting against his belly. Not even 2 hours ago that same tamer was against him just like this. He was fine then. Why did he have to be dying now? _Why, why, why?! _

_"Kuro," _the black haired exwire starts.

"**No!**" he tightens his hold on the other, wrapping himself closer around his precious friend, "**no, it's not fair- it's not fair, Rin!**" The larger cat sith swipes blood off Rin's forehead with his tongue, despair making his eyes glassy.

_"Oi, oi, that thing you do with the old man you can do to me too, right? So long as there's a body and a grave? Come on, Kuro, you're all I have to do this, please?" _It hurts. Dying really, really hurts, doesn't it. "_I'm sorry."_

Frustrated with his tamer Kuro gently grabs his nose in his jaws and tugs but flinches back before Yukio can punch his muzzle away from the gasping half-demon's airways. "**I'll do it Rin, I'll do it. Don't-**" Rin forces himself to give the sith a small smile; he feels like now he knows what people are talking about when they say it takes 4,000 muscles to smile.

_"And?"_

Kuro hesitates, little hiccuping noises escaping through his jaws and whiskers twitching madly. Finally he lowers his head again, pushing his nose against Rin's forehead and closing his eyes. His blood soaked bangs flutter under the demon-cat's nose and the eldest Okumura smiles. _Thank you, Kuro_.

"**I'll visit you all the time**," he promises quietly, eyes going glassy as his tears well up. It's getting harder to concentrate.

"_You're an awesome dude, Kuro,_" he grins tiredly. Mustering up his strength he turns his attention on Yukio, who has ordered Shura to get Shiemi and get her _now_.

He grabs the exorcist's arm in as firm a grip as he can.

"D-don't do anything stupid," he manages to say. Yukio gives him this terrified look that says 'don't you dare pull this shit with me'. It makes Rin smile a little. "I listen-ed to you, S-Spotty-f-Four-Eyes. My turn now."

Yukio forces himself to swallow, panic and distress are not enough to shut up the little voice in the back of his head telling him this is useless. Or maybe that's Shura, standing beside him. There's no way she would be able to get to the exwires in time and she knows it. Besides, someone has to be here to look after Yukio, make sure he lets Rin speak this time.

"Rin, shut up!" he cries, he doesn't like the look on Kuro's face. He's only seen those tears once before and he doesn't want to see them now. Not now, oh please, not now.

Something touches the back of his head and the teen freezes, turning his face to Rin's. His brother's skin is so pale it's a few shades shy of transparent. The cerulean blue in his eyes is beginning to lose its hue and there are deep shadows under Rin's eyes. He's losing his brother, his twin, his _family _is fading right before him. All he does is stare into those once so fierce and loyal eyes- they're still loyal, actually. Even as he lay dying.

In the memories of his childhood Yukio remembers the tangy smell of spices in the kitchen, the sound of pattering feet over wood flooring and shrieks of playing children chasing after the frog they let into the chapel. He remembers the sounds of pages turning and the lull of his father's precious and strong voice at night. The laughter of boys during Christmas and the sight of Rin in an apron, cooking dinner for their large family. The smell of the newly washed sheets they used to play in during summer, thrown up and down in them by the clergy holding onto the corners. He has images of bruises and scratches and can feel the gauze in his hands. He can see Rin's scowling face as he describes pigeon killers, thieves, and bullies. He can see his back as he protects him, scuffed up and riddled with smudges of dirt and blood.

Rin, who still cooks for him- even if it takes him into the early hours of the morning when he knows that he's still going to wake up at 5 and he has a marathon in fourth period but does it all anyway. The brother of his that washed all his clothes for him when he got attacked by a Morb during a mission, even cleaning his half of the room while he showered. The one who lay a blanket over his shoulders when he fell asleep at his desk and tried, really tried hard to study for the test his brother tells him he's going to give the next day. The one who would make him tea at 3 AM because _somehow _just by looking at his face he _knew _he was awake. His brother, who would bring the other exwires to the dorms to make sure Yukio didn't spend his entire day off cleaning.

It didn't matter if it was his childhood or his teen years the love in Rin's eyes never diminished, never turned sour or faded. Not until his kin had thrown it all back in his face with a few sparse sentences. They were twins but they were opposites, Rin always said the right thing while Yukio just couldn't find the words.

A gentle pressure guides the stunned young exorcist's head down and his forehead touches against Rin's. The love in his eyes is so strong it might just burst out of his eyes and envelope Yukio in a crushing hug.

The snow falls around them silently, observing the brother's last moments. It's a beautiful scene; a young man wrapped by love and affection as he slowly and painfully dies in the snow. Like tiny angels, the balls of frozen water glide towards the earth.

"No matter how much you may say you hate me Yukio," his brother was forced to take a breath, "you'll always be my one and only little brother. But," he swallows and it seems like he's having a hard time breathing, "I want you to re-member these two things." If he wasn't so close to Rin's face he would never have heard his voice. That once loud and exuberant, trumpet-y voice has faded into a tired, dying whisper. If his brother's eyes didn't have him locked then he wouldn't be so still. The tremble in Rin's voice suddenly diminishes, though, when he continues, "you are not alone. Don't forget your friends." One, last deep breath fills his lungs and his eye-lids are threatening to collapse. But Rin forces them to stay open and stares affectionately into his younger brother's eyes, he wants these next few words to stay with him forever; "sometimes, Yukio, you have to do what's right and damn the consequences." He holds his gaze for a few firm moments, letting the words sink in.

Oh man, his body is beginning to feel light all of a sudden- he really put his soul into those words. And when did he lose track of his limbs? Or his body for that matter? That will be problematic later. He feels like he's falling and there's this very odd tingly pain beside his ear but he keeps the smile on his face. His pale hand carefully slides away from Yukio's brown locks and a slow sigh whispers past the exwire's lips and his eyes slide closed.

"I'll see you later, little brother," he whispers. Rin's chest doesn't rise again and it'll be an eternity before Yukio will hear his heart beat again. But his brother lay beneath him with a smile on his face, this look of peace in his expression. When was the last time he'd seen his brother so at ease?

He knew.

He knew that he was going to die. And he still…

Suddenly, Yukio can't see past his glasses anymore and he buries his face in Rin's jacket, his shoulders heaving. The tears just won't stop, he feels as though they're coming out of his eyes so hard that they'll kill him.

"Nii-san," he chokes out, "Nii-san!" Shura doesn't say a word but Kuro begins to wail, tears of his own rushing down his face.

_Don't go, _but it's already too late for that.

Okumura Rin is already dead.

* * *

><p><strong> snake-attack thing she performed on Rin in the anime that basically took away his flames.<strong>

***laughs manically and runs away from angry reviewers* HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I should go on hiatus now. Jk, jk :3 Speaking of which, I seriously will probably need to do that maybe near the end of the week…. **

**RANT- You know what? I think I hate Oriens. Not because of what he's just done to Rin, but because THERE IS NOTHING ON HIM. I researched this little shit for over an HOUR and couldn't find anything solid on him. Rather, what I did find only served to further confuse the fuck outta me! He's also called Amaymon, another name for- you guessed it- our Amaimon. ._. What the fuck internet? What the actual fuck? I need a demonology book….ANYWAY, both he and Amaimon are supposedly Kings of the East and I did want to try and go for the king of the North….but he is the king of sexual desires and I didn't want to think of how I'd have to twist that for an anime/manga sense. I am not giving you guys that picture. *frustrated sigh* I'm trying really hard to make this as realistic as possible by following lore and legends and stuff but the internet reads; "Oriens? Here's a floral store named Oriens! :D" **

**No, internet, no. **

**So here is what I am going to assume from my research; he and Amaimon are two different demons. Amaimon is the King of the Earth and Oriens, I **_**think**_** may have control of wind (hence why I made him fly). There was a vague mention of that while I researched him but I'm sure it's wrong. SO, if anyone has a good site for me to find more solid info I would have to love you for a while. And if anyone can give me additional info on this little a-hole that would be incredibly nice too! I'm sorry if my lore is all screwed up but if I spent any more time looking him up I'd never have managed to get this chappy up. And I know he sucks, his character design sucks, his performance sucks and IGOR IS BETTER. *raaaaaggggeeee* **

**And let's be clear about this; Shura had more trouble with him than she would have because of her leg. Not because of her skills.**

**EDIT: (fanfictionmakesmewanttokillbabiessinceitSUCKS) I fixed Kuro's OOCness. For the sake of the story I thought it would be more emotional if I had him somber and a little more accepting buuut his character isn't like that. I don't own him so I can't bend the rules like that... . ^ . OH WELL, this seems to work better anyway. :3**

**ANYWAY! These are links from blackchaosaria250:**

**Ao no exorcist Chapter 47 : : /www. dropbox sh/ a8yorv1n18ww33f/ sPBYjEn710#/  
>and link to the movie sub :<br>: / www. phianimetv .info / ao-no-exorcist -movie/**

**LOOKIE THIS: Winged Golden Tiger drew a pic of Kasei, Rin, and Kuro taking a bath! Go cheer yourself up and take a look, it's adorable: wing – gold – tiger . deviantart art / Demon – s – Tail - 386806175**

**EVERYONE could really use a good cup of tea, I think. XD Thanks for all the awesome reviews! I want to let those of my silent readers know that it's not over just yet. This is only the beginning of something that I have planned. Just because some people seemed really afraid of that and I'm aware that many of you are silently seething at me ;) I'll do my best with these next chapters so please wait for me. **


	47. This Room is Empty

**Yeah, people were mad. I TOLD you guys! .3. Also, I decided not to do a half-assed cliffie this time. *whistles innocently***

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ao No Exorcist (I think this might be my first real disclaimer since like 4 chapters)

This Room is Empty:

Yukio was given time off from work, though he couldn't understand why. He was fine, he could still perform his regular duties. He didn't _need _time off. Still, Mephisto didn't seem all that convinced no matter what he said- the bastard demon- and so he was left alone in these dorms with nothing.

…Nothing.

Not even a corpse.

He'd been too numb to do anything after his brother had died and so Shura took the lead. Taking the blade out of his chest and putting his brother's corpse on her back. The four of them began to make their way towards the exwires. However, before they could even take three steps forwards a large, pink, sweet scented puff of smoke had exploded several feet in front of them. If the cloud was not so flamboyant they may have all gotten into battle ready stances. But no, expectedly Mephisto stepped out of the cloud with a graceful whirl and a polite tip of his hat.

"_Mephisto,"_ Shura's voice had held real malice in it and if she hadn't been holding Rin she would've been attempting to strangle the hellish creature before her. This could _only _be Mephisto's fault. Those were his seals and that was his hostel, after all.

And Yukio might never recover from this, the guy had pretty much just killed both brothers with one stone.

"_Now, now~"_ he swung his umbrella around his wrist and had practically flown towards them. _"There is no need for such things,"_ he told her and leaned downwards, ignoring the unresponsive Yukio in favor of examining Rin's pale and lifeless face. _"Oh my,"_ he whispered, eyes narrowing suspiciously, _"this is quite the predicament." _

In Yukio's place little Kasei decided he needed to defend his guardian and hopped up on unsteady wings, squawking in Mephisto's face and snapping his beak at him.

"_Oh ho! A hatchling? Today is full of unexpected events, isn't it?"_ the colorful individual exclaimed and grabbed the thrashing demon by the scruff of his neck. Kuro had sensed the tension and animosity in the air around them, and feeling as though his tamer's corpse was being threatened as well, stood in front of Shura. His eyes met with Mephisto's and a silent conversation was held between them for several moments, Kasei hissing in the background. Finally the black cat sith's posture relaxed and he stepped away. With a newfound and somewhat somber smirk the older demon had then reached out to Shura, _"well then, I think it would better for all of us if you handed Rin Okumura over to me. I will prepare the after-death arrangements, as it is in the contract the Grigori agreed to."_

"_Mephisto,"_ Shura hissed, _"just what the hell are yew up to?"_ Her eyes had narrowed and she wasn't showing any signs of moving her young student. She was mad, she was really mad because this teen was a precious son of the only man she could respect on this earth and _now he was dead_.

_Come now, do you honestly believe that? _A sly voice entered her head and suddenly, before she could stop them, images were passing through her head. When Rin had parried Oriens's invisible sword something peculiar had flashed before her eyes for hardly half a second. Something hadn't quite been right about that sword and the way Rin held his own sword after their blow had seemed strange. Like there was something bothering him. His stance was too tense and the grip on his sword was off. Though Rin himself had probably been too busy to notice it.

Her glare on the demon in front of her grew harsher but Mephisto didn't seem affected. A quick glance in Yukio's direction and she knew he wasn't paying attention. His glasses were obscuring his eyes but his face was unnaturally pale. That guy, what was going through his head right then?

"_Let him go,"_ his voice was quiet but it was enough to send Shura reeling.

"_What?!"_

"_We can't let the other exwires see this,"_ he muttered. Shura's eyes went wide and she looked between Yukio and Mephisto, enraged. With a snarl she ripped Rin from her back and almost threw him at Mephisto.

"_Woah! Come now, Kirikagure-sempai, is that anyway to respect the dead,"_ Mephisto had asked, catching Rin in his arms.

The glare in her eyes never left as she pointed her rage at Mephisto, _"you better fucking fix this."_

The sneer on his face was almost too much for the grieving swordswoman and she wanted to dive into that frigid pool, grab her sword off the bottom, come back up and stab him with it. _"Oh please, I cannot bring back the dead, Kirigakure-san~"_ That said the damned clown disappeared with a puff of smoke, taking Rin and Kasei with him.

Shura was still convinced that this whole ordeal was the principal's fault but Yukio had other ideas. The blame for this rested with Oriens.

It had been two days since Rin's death and since he didn't have to work Yukio had been putting all of his effort into locating the King of the East. He'd find this bastard demon and kill him. Nothing was going to stop him from doing that.

Sighing he leaned back in his chair and took his glasses off, rubbing his tired eyes.

The dorms were so quiet.

His desk was covered in a layer of paperwork, books, pens, notes, all orbiting around his computer. There was a cup of tea on the shelf he hadn't touched, one of many today he had not drunk. The exorcist could tell that Ukobach was sulking even though he kept making him tea. And he'd seen Kuro wandering around too- right now he was busy sleeping in Rin's messy kakebuton, periodically taking whiffs of his tamer's lingering scent. But he hadn't seen Kasei since the night that his elder brother passed away. He didn't really care all that much either. Finding Oriens was more important.

He tried to focus back on the work in front of him but now, after seventeen hours of nothing but research his thoughts continued to wander. He'd told the other exwires about Rin when they'd reached a safe house, the other exorcists either guarding or going back to get the weapons Shura and Yukio had been forced to leave behind. That awful look on Shiemi's face could've torn him apart if Bon hadn't punched him first. He didn't blame his brother's friends for being upset. He was partially responsible for why his brother hadn't been with them in the first place.

_SNAP._

Startled, he looks down at the broken pencil in his hand. This is why he hates wood pencils, honestly. Clearing his throat he tosses the writing instrument into the trash and sighs, shaking splinters from his hand. From a drawer he pulls out a blue mechanical pencil, distracted by the stunned look that had passed over Shima's face and the way Izumo had grown stiff with shock. His brother was truly amazing if he could get such a strong girl to pull that kind of expression. The rage in her eyes hadn't been as fierce as it was in Bon's nor had her grief rivaled Shiemi's but there was a mixture of emotions in those ruby eyes he hadn't been expecting. Konekomaru had looked as stunned as Bon had at first, but that had quickly changed to grief. The monk's face had turned pale and his eyes hid behind his glasses as he held Bon back with his pink haired friend.

"_You're his_ brother, dammit!"Bon had yelled at him, _"don't you _care?!" The punch had been for acting so stoic about his brother's death. What followed was because Shura had told them Mephisto had taken off with the corpse by Yukio's permission.

"_Bon, that's enough! Okumura-sensei had to have had a reason!"_ Konekomaru attempted to calm. It seemed that Suguro's respect for his sensei had diminished to nothing. Shiemi hadn't moved, hadn't said a word to him until;

"_How could this happen, Yuki-chan?"_ tears rushing down her face. The girl cared way too much for the two brothers. And he couldn't help but think that if it was Rin he'd have known what to do.

Putting a hand to his face he rubbed the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses out a little as he did so. The gunman's finger tips felt harsh on his face and he clenched his fist around the pencil. But then he stopped, this grip was not one of his pencils.

He looked down at it, discovering the pencil he now held in his hand was not his own. How had Rin's stuff ended up in that drawer? Putting the writing utensil down he pushed back. Why couldn't he _focus_? Didn't he _care _about his brother?

Shaking his head he leaned forwards, reaching into the drawer and trying to find a new pencil.

There wasn't one.

He couldn't stop himself and looked around the room, his eyes falling on Rin's side of the dorm. With his breath catching in his throat the exorcist found himself unable to look away. Rin's side of the room was actually sort of clean for once as Yukio had practically hunted him down before he could leave two weeks ago. The fluffy, blue and white rug placed just beside his bed and the posters on the walls all in place. The remarkably bare desk and the folded pajamas on his messy blue-checkered kakebuton. That had been one thing he hadn't managed to get Rin do and for some stupid reason he was almost sort of glad to see that it was still a mess.

His brother had left those wrinkles in the shikibuton when he'd left and it had been Rin who had pushed the pillow over the side of the bed in his sleep. It had also been Rin to kick the thing under the bed in his haste. Kuro shifted, snuggling up to Rin's blankets and purring a little in his sleep.

Yukio looked over at the polished and well-cared for guitar resting against the end of his brother's bed. It looked shadowed and lonely in the corner, begging to be played. He was somewhat surprised when he saw the music books placed beside it, stacked together and some appearing much older than others. They'd used to joke about the difference in literature; Yukio's side was full of medical books and demonology tomes while Rin's held magazines and manga. Manga that Yukio may have stolen to read a little from every now and then. There actually wasn't all that much on Rin's side, just an occasional knick-knack, some comics, and that rug he'd found in the dorms a few weeks ago.

His gaze lingered on the guitar; what had Rin wanted to do with his life? What would Rin have become if he hadn't been pulled into this mess? Perhaps he'd still be alive…

This room would not be empty right now and if it weren't for his mistakes he could be listening to Rin complain about his homework instead of this silence. It's probably just the exhaustion but almost like an after-image he sees his brother sitting at his desk with a book held firmly in his hands and an accusing scowl on his face. As though to say; 'why must you do this to me?' The sound of his breathing wouldn't be so solitary with his brother's there to join it nor would the shuffle of pages. He'd never realized how refreshing Rin was in this room.

Gritting his teeth he turned to the pencil in his hand, he was going to fix this. He'd get Rin's revenge.

Before he could do anything more something hit him in the side of the head and there was a thud as Ukobach landed on the desk, papers crinkling under his feet. The demon didn't look at him as he grabbed the tea cup and hopped away, leaving Yukio with a crumpled piece of balled up paper in his lap. Confused he watched the closed door for a while, wondering what that was about before he turned to the page. At first he was ready to just throw it away but then he saw bits of what he suspected was his name. Curiosity took hold and he looked at the page a little closer. It had been compressed by strong hands, rolled around and crunched up in a way that displayed it's owners stress. It took a bit of time but he manages to begin the meticulous task of unrolling the piece of paper. This thing was probably in the trash or something and Ukobach was just showing him how mad he was finally.

Ugh, he needed to get back to work already.

The second he has the page flattened he wishes he had never opened it.

The handwriting is clearly Rin's, no one else he knows has such a characteristic chicken-scratch. But the grammar and spelling is quite remarkable for once, as though he'd practiced writing these lines again and again. He didn't want to read it but he found he wasn't able to stop himself.

_Yukio-_

_This is stupid, I know, but shut up. Anyway, I might die this month so I wanted to leave this in case things don't go well. Don't do anything stupid, alright? I swear if you do I'll haunt you to your grave.(-_- )You also need to go easy on the other exwires, they're good people, believe me. Let them help you out, Shiemi especially. You think you're alone but you aren't so stop acting like that._

_Knowing you, you're shutting yourself in and doing nothing but work so GO OUTSIDE! Enjoy yourself a little, I don't want to watch a guy do nothing but work all day! (Yeah, I'm probably haunting you anyway) Hurry up 'cause I'm probably bored. _

…_Live YOUR life a little, Yukio. Stop trying to live Shiro's for him._

_Bye._

He stared at the last line for a long time, re-reading it over and over again. After a while he crumples it up again and throws it into a bin.

"I'm sorry, Nii-san, but I can't do that."

* * *

><p>It was really quiet in the cram classroom today. No one said much when the teachers weren't in the room. There had been a few dismal speeches saying that they had no homework and if anyone needed to leave the room at any time they could do so. Yukio's class had a substitute and it was made apparent that he probably wouldn't be showing up for a long while.<p>

Izumo was leaning over the page in front of her, trying to work on her studies. Takara was having much more success across the room than any of the arias as well. None of them seemed to be making much progress. Shiemi wasn't even trying. Izumo glanced up at her, the somber look on her face making the ruby-eyed girl cringe. It brought a feeling of irritation up to her as well. Turning back to the page in front of her she continued her efforts but every time she read the question Moriyama's face turned back up in her minds-eye. Finally she had to slam her hands on the table and shout; "if you're so worried about him, _call him_."

"K-Kamiki-san?!" she sputters, jumping in surprise.

"Oi, what's wrong with you?" Bon growls at her, muscles tensing like he was ready to fly out of his seat.

"Nothing is wrong with me," Izumo snaps back. She crosses her arms over her chest and tries to glare at them but there is this look of defeat in her eye that makes Suguro relax a little. "I'm just getting sick of seeing all these distracting faces around! Nothing is going to get done if you just _sit around_."

Bon's lip twitches and he turns away, what can they do to help a person like Yukio Okumura? He knows that Rin would want them to look after the younger brother and make sure he doesn't attempt anything rash but what can they really do?

"I think," Konekomaru begins, setting down his pen, "that calling Okumura-sensei is a good idea. If he doesn't pick up then we can go and visit the dorms." The young monk sounds tired and his voice somewhat weighted by grief; he misses Rin- they all do.

Shiemi doesn't say anything and simply sits, too afraid to speak because she's sure that if she tries she's going to cry.

"Does anyone have his number?" Shima asks.

"We're all _supposed_ to have it," there isn't all that much malice in Bon's tone as he picks out his cell. This is their last period and it's a self-study one that's just about to end anyway. A few beeps later and the phone is ringing, turned up all the way on speaker phone.

The silence is a bit tense as they all wait for Yukio to pick up and after a minute it becomes clear that he isn't going to. Finally the dial tone is reached, but the voice that comes out surprises them all.

_Ring….Ring….Ring….click_

"_Hey, this is Rin. I'm busy doing stuff right now. Call back later. If I'm still not picking up it probably means I'm ignoring you. That or Shura busted my phone again. Later." _

_Beep_

The classroom became very quiet. No one said or moved an inch. There are tears welling up in Shiemi's eyes and Bon looks stunned.

"We should probably just go to the dorms," Shima says after a very long time.

* * *

><p><strong>*yawns* gooood morning everyone. Man, this chapter is TINY compared to 46. *bleary whistle* Anyway, as I mentioned at the top I'm not pulling any half assed cliffies on you. I want this stuff to LAST. At least, until next chappy? I dunno, I may keep being mean. :3<strong>

***yawns again* okay, time for breakfast. **

**REVIEWS:**

**Claerine: **Aww, everyone does too. His voicemail was fun to write : ) We'll have to see what happens ;)

**Matthouston: ***presses a button* WRONG. :3 Ehehehe, but you're catching onto Mephisto's guile. If I did that then how could I reconnect it with the manga? But that's a very clever plan! I like how you think.

**demonsLOver: **Bahahahahahaha! XD I was building it up with Rin, remember? He felt that s_omething _was wrong but didn't know what it was. From the moment Kuro told him what Kasei was trying to say he realized what he was getting himself into. That's our Rin ;) HAH. I just posted the next addition. (It probably isn't at all satisfying though XD)

**KagehannaTsukio: (**I regret to tell you that fanfiction is not pleased with '.' In your username) Hahaha, I am :D I'm so mean to them, aren't I?

**Lanny-Sama: ***pats your head* what a subdued review, thanks for waiting!

**DeathBySugarCube: **Well, do you remember the nightmare he had? That mixed with his instincts and the stress of the gap gave him that feeling. Or at least, the idea that he was putting himself in front of a blade intended for his brother. In reality he could not say for certain that he would die, just that there was a high possibility. It's a demon thing. X3 Does that help? Glad you like!

**Dowgma: **Huraah! I am _deceptive. _That's good though, sometimes I have people who READ MY MIND. It takes out all the fun when they can guess what's coming. Haha, thank you! I've been doing emotional short stories for a while and I definitely think that I could do better with this but people seem to like it all regardless.

**An-chan95: **Correction, I'm going to update in a few hours. Wow, 'fishy', huh? I'm at a sushi bar right now so that's funny. Yes, I do love doing this ;3 Hehehe

**ScarletWinter124: ***revives you*

**Grapes: **Hehe, your welcome. Ooooh, you do? Very nice.

**Aesir23: **Hahaha, thank you, I've had plenty of practice. Sweet, thanks! It's a bit of a hole that I've dug myself into but I'm getting the hang of it, I think.

**Spootly: **Nice, thanks! I can definitely see how my timelines would mix people up since, until now, I haven't put too much focus into it. I've also not been able to read all the chapters through consecutively. By that I mean I haven't read them all in order. Would you say it's big enough that I should go back and attempt to smooth it out? Ouuuw, does that mean I caught you off guard?

**Bloody-Mad: **Awww, thank you! Hahahahaha, strangle Oriens, _please_. He is the w_orst little fragger. _*throws a mini-fit* Oh really? I've come across some who've r_eally _got it all down. Hehehe, thank you, I'm glad to see that you like it so much!

**Aelliea: **(Nice name :) ) Hehe, thanks! I'll do my best!

**Hartanna: ***rotfling* I'm sorry, but it's just so amusing seeing you get mad. XD I don't think I've seen that before! Don't worry, my friend, it gets better.

**FairoNeko: ***pats your back and gives you a cup of tea* I'm glad that I managed to pull out a few tears from you ;) Hopefully I can fix that.

**Heart of Virgo: ***Cheshire grin* I will wholeheartedly admit that Oriens is a character in need of a_ lot of work._ I honestly am not pleased by how I did his character and I will have to work hard to fix him in the future, but there is a reason for his peculiar behavior. But, I also don't really believe any of the sub-king brothers (Yukio and Rin excluded) care much for each other. We'll all have to see what Kazu has for Mephisto.

**Vee: ***slaps keyboard and falls out of chair* Oh my gosh you people! XD I'm sorry, as the writer is it okay if I'm laughing like a maniac at everyone who mentions the sword thing? Because I am, and it is NOT silent. I know what I am doing and watching everyone try to figure it out is just so much fun. Sorry, but in order to save the surprise I am giving NO spoilers to anybody. *snorts and covers mouth* I'm sorry!


	48. Cheshire's Plan

***grabs empty page and turns it around several times* An author's troubled thoughts: At this angle, or this perspective? Does this happen first or AFTER? It's important so I should figure it out. I still wanna leave you all with a tang so I can have people jumping up and down next year but how can I do that efficiently? *sudden, terrible realization* I'm going to have to do more Oriens research. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (Can I strangle myself?)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Cheshire's Plan:

"_Oriens is one of eight demonic sub-princes whose names are scribe on paper on the second day of the Holy Guardian Angel working."_ Yukio held back a sigh of irritation. The King of the East was somehow surprisingly difficult to research. All the archives that had any information on him were restricted and Mephisto was unlikely to allow him access to them. So far he'd discovered that he had control of the wind and ruled over the demons of the east- which explained the rakshasas. He brought his index finger to his mouth and chewed on the skin, ignoring the forming blisters there, and surveyed the information splayed out in front of him. He was the fourth son of Satan, three ranks above Amaimon. It wasn't surprising that they had been so overwhelmed by him.

From what he could find of the demon sub-king's history he was somewhat crafty. Not like Mephisto, thank god, but he liked to mess with people in tortuous ways. During the crafting of a temple for God, a young worker was tormented by him day in and day out. Oriens would suck out his energy each evening and mock and wound him.

There were other such stories that gave hints to the sub-kings reasons so he could suspect that Oriens killed his brother because he felt his position of power was somehow threatened. But how had he managed to get out of Gehenna? This was where he was really stumped. Like Satan himself the composition of his powers and demonic energy made it extremely difficult for him to find a proper host. Though, in Oriens case it's more because of how rare it is to find a substitute that can hold his bizarre energy composition than because of how powerful the sub-king must be.

Tired, the young exorcist put his head in his hands and sighed. But none of this tells him _where _to find the demon. Since it's difficult for the hell-raiser to come up it was unlikely that he had gone back to hell but there are so many places on Earth to go and cause havoc. He bit his lip and checked some reports on the True Cross Exorcist website again.

"Dammit," he cursed quietly and Kuro lifted his head. There was nothing there for him, nothing aside from a few hints here or there that led him to no-where. Fisting his hands in his hair he groaned, "dammit all to hell."

And the room was still too silent.

Of course, it was so silent that the sound of a squeal suddenly erupting from beside him was the last thing he expected. In the quiet room it seemed to explode beside his eardrum, making his throbbing headache spike painfully. The exorcist jerked so bad he almost fell out of his chair. The next thing he and Ukobach knew he had a gun in his hand and was pointing it at the innocent cook on his desk.

The familiar's eyes were wide with surprise and he waited, perfectly static, for the younger to realize just what he was doing. He stared into the wild, sleep deprived eyes of the exorcist teacher with a sad disappointment growing within him. If only they could communicate. Slowly, recognition formed in his eyes and he lowered the weapon.

"What is it?" Yukio asked.

An incomprehensible squeal bolted off his demon tongue, followed quickly by a hiss that may have been his equivalent of a curse. The demon turned to Kuro then, knowing that he would be more able to understand, and Yukio waited with barely baited patience. His headache throbbed behind his temples as he listened to the two speak to each other. Squealing and mewing, both got very irritating to the already frazzled and tired individual _fast_. Ukobach pointed to Yukio then to the window and shrugged. The two grew thoughtfully silent and while they mulled over their newest language barrier issue the exorcist turned back to his research.

* * *

><p>"He isn't coming down," Shima pointed out unnecessarily, looking up at the ghostly building before him. The exwires had been waiting out here for their teacher almost fifteen minutes while Ukobach tried to get him to come out.<p>

"Tche, we're going to have go in ourselves," Bon said and stepped inside before the others could stop him. A ghost of her former self, Shiemi followed after without a word. They all filed into the dorms, watching memories pass through the halls. The arias saw Rin when they came over to share the bathroom after certain, particularly gooey, failed missions. Standing in the hall with Kuro at his heels and a box of juice held up to his mouth. For Shiemi it was coming in to find Rin chasing after Yukio in a fit of rage, discovering that his brother had accidentally snacked on a particular ingredient that he'd struggled to get ahold of. Izumo could only remember freshly washed blue shirts and a vanilla milkshake when she entered the hall. How strange this place seemed all of a sudden.

"This place is so quiet," Konekomaru murmurs and his voice seems too loud, almost seeming to echo in the corridor.

"Yeh," Shima whispers. He leaps back into Bon when his foot bumps up against Ukobach. The familiar hisses at him, angered by the rude gesture. Doesn't anybody _look around _anymore?

"Ah, Ukobach-san, how did it-?" the youngest monk begins to ask but Ukobach's isn't listening to him. With one powerful leap he jumps from the floor to Izumo's shoulder. A cool wind brushing past him he holds on tightly as the girl flinches in surprise a little more violently than he thought she would. He'd never really appreciated how cool headed Rin was before. With a huff he shoves a piece of paper in front of her face.

"What do you want me to do with this?" she asks, grabbing it. He waits for her to see what's on the page, examining her face to be sure she recognized what he drew on it. There was an obscure picture of what appears to be some sort of animal with a bib and hat.

Hey, he's a cook not an artist.

"Is this a fox?" Konekomaru asks, peering over her arm. He seems to be the most relaxed of them all, his hands in his pockets and an easy going expression on his face. It's probably just too much trouble for him to keep acting depressed.

"You want me to summon my Byakko?" she asks, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh maybe they can translate him for us," Bon understands.

_They won't be too happy about being used for such a reason, but whatever,_ the amber-eyed teen pulls out a piece of summoning paper and performs her usual chant. The two white foxes appear with a bell chime, noble and beautiful like robed sprites during a summer hal. (1)

"Woman, what reason has thyst summoned us?" Mike looks up at his master with a somewhat demanding expression. The two are so suited for each other.

Izumo thrusts her hand forwards and points to Ukobach, "translate him for us."

"What? We are not to be used for such things!" Uke denies.

Unfortunately her master was not even remotely willing to deal with such behavior and shouts her next command, "that's a damn order!" Both foxes jerk in surprise, there is no getting out of this this time. With a few sour grumbles the demons swing their heads towards Ukobach.

A few squeals come out of his mouth and his eyes narrow at the two. Realizing they are in the presence of a superior demon they bow their heads and growl in apology, tails between their legs. Moving on, Mephisto's familiar explains the situation to the two.

Several moments later and Mike looks up at his tamer, "the great one says you need to summon forth the she-demon with red fur and storage seals."

There's a pause as the group mulls over these words, trying to piece together what Ukobach means.

"It sounds like he's talking about Kirigakure-sempai," Shima says after a few moments. The familiar looks at him and nods, squeaking an affirmation.

"The great one says 'yes, bring the she-demon here,'" Izumo's familiar translates.

"Is Yuki-chan alright?" Shiemi finally speaks up. A red tail falls a little at the look on her face and he nods somberly.

"'He is fine but in need of sleep.'"

"I see," she replies.

"So he wants us to bring in Kirigakure-sensei," Shima exchanges a look with Konekomaru, "I don't have her number."

They all look around for several minutes and from the looks of things no one does. Finally Ukobach squeaks something and turns away, disappearing around the corner.

"He says we are welcome to the kitchen but must wait there while he retrieves the Rin-boy's cell phone," Uke says, turning towards her tamer. "Now!" she huffs, "are you quite finished with using us for such meaningless tasks?" Izumo's response is to wordlessly tear the paper.

The group proceeds from the hall and down to the kitchen where they find seats at one of many open tables. Shiemi does everything she can to ignore the blue apron hanging on the kitchen lab's door. A few minutes pass and Ukobach has come down on Kuro's back, Rin's phone in hand. He hands it over to Bon, who looks through it until he finds the number he's looking for. No one really feels any need to speak as he copies the number and uses his own to call her.

* * *

><p>Beep… beep... beep.. beep,beep,beepbeepbeep<p>

It hurts.

It _hurts._

He can't breathe. He can't twitch. He can't open his eyes. He can't speak. He can't think- for god sakes _make it stop_! He can feel himself going mad with this unbridled, uncontained, and tortuous _agony _that does far, far more than sear through his broken body. Despite his immobility the black haired teen's back is arched, sweat is pouring off his skin, and his body is attempting to writhe. A guttural, gurgling growl escapes past his bloodied and chapped lips and in the farthest corners of his mind something registers movement around him.

The demon's chest is throbbing with a scalding hellfire and his ears cannot make out any distinguishable sound from the roar of noise filling them. It's as though he's going to explode. Like someone has mounted his body into the air by impaling him on several thick, metal pillars that have been shoved through his flesh. It's like holy water searing through his organs and tearing him apart from the inside out and the only difference is that it's_ worse_ _than any of that_. His chest heaves up and down, colors flashing across his blackened vision and there's a confusing cacophony of noise and scents that he can't identify. The world is spinning, turning itself inside out and bounding around the confused half-creature like a damn bouncy ball his panicking mind cannot work enough coordination to catch.

He's scared.

No, he's downright terrified.

Good God, _it hurts!_

Please, just let him _die _already. This is far too much, he can't take this pain- _please, just end it all!_

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep.

"Se-ated!"

"O- cont-restrain-!"

"Whe- -orphine?!"

He gasps and chokes on copper. Something forces his head to the side and he's pushed down by something strong. He can feel something else being forced down his throat and he coughs, whimpering in pain. It's too bright. It's too dark. It _hurts too much_. He doesn't know who he's praying to but he's begging for someone to make it stop. For someone to save him from this madness and tell him if he's still alive.

Oh lord, is this hell?

Yes, this has to be hell, it can't be anything else. He's experienced pain in his life but never anything of this level. This level shouldn't exist. There's no way this can be created from anything in Assiah.

He doesn't know who is anymore, where he is, what happened to him and it doesn't matter because the pain is the only thing that's there. It's in its own separate world and the driving forces of stabbing, throbbing, merciless agony have dragged him into it. The teen is completely engulfed by it and no matter how much he attempts to wriggle free he can't _fucking move. _

His terror has become overwhelming and there is a scream that he can't understand. Someone else is in pain- horrible pain. Pain on a level like his if the shrieks are anything to go by. Please, oh please, make them _stop_. His head is cracking and breaking into two like an egg, he can't endure this!

The black haired youth's hand shoots out to grab onto something, anything to pull him out of this hell. Flailing about something says a name- his name?- and he realizes that the screams around him are his own. Is that _really _his voice? It sounds so foreign.

Finally he latches onto something, something warm and soft. Words are being spoken but he can't understand them and simply holds onto this thing in his hand like a life line because that is exactly what this thing is right now.

It's keeping him alive, keeping him there and preventing him from falling back. He can ignore the hands moving all over his body, that infernal beeping and his own screams. He can pretend like the blood around him is not his own and that the world is completely still. With this new lifeline he can tell himself that _he's not dead yet_.

Something cold shoots up his arm.

Once, twice, three times in quick succession. A cup-like instrument is held tightly over his mouth and nose, feeding a strange smelling gas into him that makes his nose tingle uncomfortably. There's a stick in his throat rubbing against his thyroid. The world is still spinning and he feels as though he's falling backwards off a cliff. The lights flashing against the back of his eyelids fade to black and his heaving chest calms. His body is too heavy to move anymore and that thing in his hand slips away.

He's still not entirely sure who he is and he still doesn't really care but in his mind's eye a familiar figure stands above him, a simple silhouette hovering above him with flashing oculars.

Beep, beep, beep, beep

_Yu-ki…o_

* * *

><p>"Oi, Scardy-Cat-Four-Eyes," Shura's familiar voice is not a welcome interruption to the dozing exorcist. Ah, crap; he must have fallen asleep at his desk again. He should still have some pills for this- can't remember what to call them. "The damn bed is over there," she jerks her finger to his folded futon.<p>

Yukio just looks at her blankly for a few moments before returning to his work. This needs to be done first.

"_Oi, jackass_," the red-head reaches for him, "you're gunna get yerself killed sitting at a damn desk!" Her hand barely touches his shoulder before he shakes her off and grabs for his gun. In a matter of seconds the two are at each other's throats; Yukio with his gun pointed up at her and Shura with the back of her blade pressed against his jugular. Neither of them can say a word, glaring at each other. There are hints of dismay in Shura's eyes but it's obvious that she isn't surprised by the gesture. "Get ta bed, kiddo," she growls darkly. She's thankful now that she managed to convince the other exwires to go home first.

"I'm busy-"

"-dozing, clearly. Doze in yar damn bed before I hafta knock yew out!" of course this isn't how she wants to spend her time. She doesn't want to receive desperate calls from exwires who should be studying and _not _keeping her from guzzling her chunnai back in her apartment. The elder exorcist's lip twitches and a sigh escapes her. She lowers her sword and grabs Rin's chair, falling into it heavily. "This is too much," the she-demon groans as Yukio puts his gun away. He doesn't respond and picks up a pen. Several tense moments are allowed to pass between them as Shura watches the second son of Shiro Fujimoto scribble down more notes. He's really going to end up killing himself at this rate. His face is pale and the purple craters under his eyes are large enough to challenge the size of Konekomaru's ears. "What are yew tryn'a do?"

"I'm going to find Oriens." His explanation is simple and toneless. She watches him struggle for a few more moments, passing by obvious information and missing key details regularly.

"Go to bed," she finally insists, "while yar sleeping I'll do yar research for yew." He looks at her doubtfully so she points to his notes, "look, yar so tired that yar spelling things like shit. Yar missing stuff too. This stupidity isn't helpin' no one." A few more moments to ponder the situation and he realizes that she's right.

Stiffly, he pushes himself away from the desk, bones cracking. He stands up and shuffles over to his bed, tossing over his shoulder, "wake me in three hours."

_As if,_ Shura watches him unfold his shikibuton and kakebuton and waits for the brown haired exorcist to settle in before turning to the papers in front of her.

This is going to be hard; how can she pretend to find information? She needs to lead him off course and hope that he'll give up- or at least realize that this isn't what his brother had in mind when he'd said "do what's right." If this continues the two will have to have a _talk._

_Rin, _her thoughts turn to the desk beside her, _just what kind of brother have yew been dealing with all this time and why couldn't yew write a "how to" book for us? _

* * *

><p>Beep…<p>

Beep…

Beep…

The hospital room is sun-kissed and golden, cast in a holy glow by the falling sun. It streams through the open window with a fresh scent of evening glory and gives the entire room a beautiful yellow luminescence. Shadows are growing darker and they play across Mephisto's subdued smile. His attention is on the people in the courtyard below, looking out over them from his place beside the large window. They stroll through the garden, skirting around swarms of sunlit gnats and watching the trees dance in the wind. Budding flowers and green oak trees are very much prepared for summer- stark in contrast to the snowy caps of Sennyo Mountain. The people below him clearly have no idea what's going on in the room above them and none of them should know. Yet, despite this he can't help but be amused by their ignorance. Something truly amazing was accomplished in the BDRI's hospital wing and none of them would ever realize it.

A hatchling is curled up in his lap, ignoring his pets and shifting periodically. Apparently Mephisto's lap isn't as comfortable as his guardian's. No surprises there. If it hadn't been for such a creature then this room would be very empty and the trickster sub-king would most definitely be standing in a morgue right now. Quite remarkable the little thing was. Too bad it would never accept Mephisto as its master. At first he'd been somewhat surprised that the creature already had a scar, and a fairly large one at that, draped across his wing. It shone just a little in the golden evening glow, a sign to how recently the wound had been made. Sort of like someone else...

The purple haired demon turns his attention to the pale face of the teen resting in a sanitized hospital bed across the room. His sweaty chest is naked aside from the gauze and electrodes, white sheets covering him from his waist down. He has several IVs attached to his arms and all this life support is keeping the blood pumping through his veins. Despite the excessive amounts of morphine he's been given the half-demon clearly has a very pained expression on his face. It's white and glistening with sweat, the sunlight glittering in the drops that run down his face. The skin over the teen's eyes has taken on a bruised color and the breathing mask on his face doesn't stop him from panting.

Tilting his hat upwards, the sub-king observes his blood pressure on a machine hovering behind the bed. It's obvious that it could be much better but he decides it's better than nothing.

He listens to the inhalation and exhalation of the black haired boy, harsh and wheezy in the quiet room. An accomplished smirk grows on his face and he stands up, Kasei leaping from his lap with an angry growl. Shuffling his wings in a show of irritation, eyes flashing in the afternoon glow, he glare's up at him for a few moments. Then the baby dragon keeps himself low to the ground and swiftly glides over the floor towards the teen's bed. He looks like a snake shooting forwards across the ground until his wings pop out and give him the extra push needed to get to Rin's bed. He touches down on the white sheets carefully and slinks over to the teenager's side, curling up and keeping an eye on Mephisto. He trusts him better than the she-demon with red fur but only because he helped bring back his guardian. Still, there is something odd about him that Kasei isn't sure he should trust.

The Cheshire grin on Mephisto's face is almost dangerous as he looks down at the vulnerable exwire.

"Brother," a voice speaks up and a strange, green hamster trickles out of his hat and plops down onto his shoulder.

"I thought I told you to stay in the hat, Amaimon," Mephisto's grin doesn't fade any.

"You truly are incredible, Brother, to be able to bring back the dead," he satiates the other's not-irritation with praise.

An amused tint fills his forest green eyes and they take on a threatening glow, reflecting the sun's golden mirth. "Quite, but without our dragon friend even I may not have pieced him back together."

Amaimon's fur puffs out a little and an eager shudder runs through his tiny frame, "I want to kill him."

"Amaimon!" Mephisto's smile disappears and he glares at the hamster disapprovingly. His brother does not seem to hear, however, eyes locked on the teenager's vulnerable form.

A small gasp escapes the unconscious youth's mouth and his shoulders pull back. Already scrunched shut his eyelids tighten over the organs beneath. There's a hitch in his breath and Mephisto's smile twitches a little. He watches his blood pressure carefully.

"I want to fight him," Amaimon whispers eagerly.

As the black haired teenager settles down, Mephisto's face takes on a careful sneer- the kind seen on a devilish man with a plan.

"In due time, brother of mine. But first we must wait for Okumura Rin to recover." The light touches Rin's pale face, highlighting his battle to live. Life support sounds around him and a tiny grunt escapes his lips.

But he's alive, and that's all that matters.

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><p><strong>1111111(FANFICTIONWHYYOUDODISTOMYNUMBERS?)Hal: A festival for fairies and shit.<strong>

**22222. (ISWEARILLFIXTHENUMBERPROBLEM) So, in this particular scene, I'm having Ukobach speak his usual language, but a bit dumbed down. The reason why it sounds funny this time is because of the way that the Byakko have to translate it. Some squeals are just hard to put into Japanese. Does that make sense? **

**IS THIS BETTER? (At least now you know he's alive :3 ) ….*depressed sigh* I need a vacation TT_TT Cabin Fever is getting to me again. **

**.3. Anyway, thinking maybe it's time for Hiatus. Let's be fair though, I've been writing almost the entire month of July. So my desire to move onto something else, I think, shouldn't be too surprising. Maybe I'll burp out a few more chapters, (probably?).**

**P.S. I would like to point out a few things to my more recent reviewers. I forgot about the people who are not accustomed to my way of hiatus. Here is how it goes:**

**1) I update like crazy for a few weeks and then take off for a while. (We can all agree that it is too long)**

**2) Then _I come back_. I promise to you with my _life _that I will come back. **

**I'm also going to point out that I'm not particularly happy with leaving off here and would like to try and avoid it but it's possible that it's going to be inevitable. If these were my characters I could totally stay longer- hell, hiatus wouldn't be necessary. But they are not and so if I want to make sure I don't loose the groove I have to take a break. It honestly gets boring when you can't twist and play with the characters without making a bunch of people mad. That's just from my writer's perspective, though. **

**UPDATE#2: So, I've basically completed the next 7 chapters- one of which is an OVA that I may post on Christmas (it's not very christmas-y though). I haven't finished the arc yet but I'd say I'm getting closer. I have plans to either a) upload a new chapter every month on the 15th or b) upload a new chapter at the end of the month. It's going to depend on my classes at the time. I'm sorry I can't offer 40 pages a month, but hopefully the content of the chapters themselves are enough to satiate you guys.**

** Chapter 49 comes out on August 15th~**

**Until then.**

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><p><strong>REVIEWS:<strong>

**RisingSm0ke: **At _most_ it would be a year. I'm planning on taking a writing class so it might not be. Sorry, the wait is a pain, I know :( Aww, thank you for being so nice and understanding about it! Oh, don't worry. This arc will be finished sooner or later! After that I'll see where my ideas take me. I know how you feel so I won't discontinue it. ;) Hehehe, you're welcome! A lot of this chapter was done in the car so I was worried there would be some problems but I'm glad they aren't too bad. I'm sure I will, writing for this is in itself a vacation. It's just when it stops being pleasant and starts getting boring that it stops being one. PS. It's _going _to happen! D If I do take off before that happens and come back remind me of that! :D

**KagehanaTsukio: **Eheh heh heh! Did I get you good? Judging by the all caps then I'd say I got you pretty good. Hahahahaha, thanks! I'm super glad to see that you liked this chapter! :D I had fun near the end but the beginning was sorta shaky. (also, have you decided what you want to do about that short story we discussed? I believe you said that you wanted to write a part of it first. Since its a collab and all (it might get a bit long?) why don't we post it on your profile? :) )

**projecter: **I actually think Amaimon and Mephisto are Rin and Yukio's half brothers, right? Getting Mephy down is somewhat difficult because of how mysterious he is buuut, I think I have a pretty good house-hold role model who behaves in a somewhat similar fashion. (this is a weird house, I know) So his character is a little easier than other's. He is going to get a little mean later though. XD

**Dowgma: **The response was so long I just ended up PMing you. ;) Check your inbox, my response will be there.

**Matthouston: **Okay fine, not a year. Hehe, I'm steadily working my way up to explanations. :D Yukio and the others sorta bore me though… Eh, I'll survive XD OMG YOU! Stop taking my ideas out of my friggn' head! You are like so close that it's scary!

**An-chan95: **Huhaw! I really look forward to writing that but it will be a bit still.

**LinkinParkTheKillersFan: **I feel as though I'm giving everyone heart attacks and then just sorta watching them writhe and laughing instead of calling an ambulance. My conscious is giving shit about it, I feel so guilty. XD Awww, thank you. That helps me relax! And yeah, I have a feeling that this guy might not be as good as we all assume that he is. He's a tricky guy.

**Winged Golden Tiger: **Pfahahahahaha, yes. I do need to fix that Kurikara thing don't I? Hmmm, when to incorporate the explanation… I will do everything I can! Let's hope it will be only a few months!

**Lovelessfighterbeloved1: **Thank you, I'm glad that you like! :D

**Hartanna: **That makes you a very special and unique person. Exactly, which is why I emphasize that I will come back! Hehehehe, I'm glad that I have your faith! :D

**Alina97: **No one ever is, and I suppose that's a good thing. Oh wow, that makes you much more patient than a lot of people. XD Some reviewers are saying they'll wait a few months but no more. I'm relieved to see that there are those who can be patient, thank you :)

**CrimsonQueen24: ***throws up momentary confetti* huraaah! Yep, but the unfortunate price for the speed is a long and upsetting wait for many people. A year would be the maximum. I'm taking a few writing classes this year and I'm starting college sooner but I don't know how much work I will get. It all depends on the classes because there _will _be nights where I come home with 6 hours plus of homework. I think you can understand why I would be a little hesitant with that. I can definitely promise that it will be no longer than a year at _most_. But considering where I left everyone off at I am going to try and burp out a few posts before then and then start updating more again when I get the chance. This story will _not _be abandoned. I'm trying to aim for 100 chappies *determined face* and I have tried to write stories during that time but they all sorta don't work out. People get OOC and that bothers me even if its only a little bit. But, I have written a thing or two _now _for me to post later for people who begin to get antsy. (though, they're more like little intermissions :3) Hahaha, awesome! I'm glad that I managed to make you happy! :D Aww, just remember: I will always come back!

**Guest: **maybe, maybe less. Let's hope for less. ;) Aw, you're welcome, thanks for the review!

**Grapes: **Hehehe, thank you so much for your support! I'll be back as soon as I can!

**Isthisparadise: **HURAAAH *throws up confetti* that he is, it'll be fun to wake him up. Oh I definitely will post before then, and a year is, as I've said, the maximum amount. I have a few short stories to post up at a later notice though, so that people don't get too antsy. So a Christmas present is a definite thing. ;) Let's just say that Yukio does something _really _stupid. That's all the spoiler I can give. I can't wait to post again!

**Pink Pickles: **Oh, not at all! I just always feel super guilty about hiatus so I have trouble doing the last reviews. Awwww, thank you! There are a lot of people who would feel differently, I'm glad that you don't! :D Thank you so much for your support and patience! It really helps me to relax. ^ ^; I'll post a few things here and there during my hiatus but I don't know how much. I look forward to posting again. I have plans to start some drabbles for the BBC series Merlin as well later in the year so if you think you'd be interested in that as well then maybe we'll be talking again sooner. Again, thanks so much for your support! :D

**Elise: **Oh thank you! I'm glad to see that you've enjoyed the latest chapters so far, they're a bit tricky. :D Thanks for the review!

**FD: **Huzaah for urges! :D I'm happy to read a review from you again!

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><p><strong>Quicky Update 1: Hey. Hey guess what I have? The next three chapters. *troll face* I've decided that I'm going to post them at later notices for now, if I can get the next three or four more done then I can post them one at a time at the end of each month. HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES? *says quickly* Yeah, I know you're unhappy. <strong>

**But look on the bright side, this means the wait won't be as long...right? **

**...I'll just go stand in the corner.**

**Anyway, my sleep-deprived goofyness aside I decided to do this- I'll probably burn in hell for it, but you know whatever. If anyone would _like _(much emphasis on like) to donate me they can do so by sending it to my paypal using these emails: fairytalewarrior (at sign) . outlook dot c-o-m OR fairytalewarrior (at sign) gmail dot c-o-m**

**If it's any consolation to those who are silently raging; my bunkmate did this. I told him that I had a reviewer who offered a donation and he was like; cool, I'll set up your stuff RIGHT NOW! :D The next thing I knew it was all done and ready to go and he was threatening me; if you don't do it, I WILL. O ^ o**

**I think I need to put a leash on this person...**

**Anyway, if by some chance you _do_ donate, it would be cool if you could PM me or leave a review saying that you did so I know who you are. :) **


	49. Stop Working Already!

**I really miss writing about Rin's tail. I was wondering what was stopping me so BAM! *slams chapter down* this stuff happened. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rin's tail**

Stop Working Already!:

Mephisto had grown bored of his work and was simply looking for an excuse- _any _excuse to get him out of the office. Really, he wasn't here for any other reason. Well, okay, maybe he was here to mess around and annoy a certain sleeping teen. Rin had been unconscious for a full week now and half-demon or not that was just too long for the trickster. He was getting antsy, wanted to see his plans get put in motion. He'd already given Yukio and his exwires the task of hunting Oriens on Monday and watching them had been pretty amusing for a time but now he'd grown tired of the ceaseless tension and arguing.

The students and their teacher were staying at the Western BDRI Branch, up by Sennyo Mountain in Yamanashi,and had made little progress so far in finding the demon sub-king. Even after telling the group that their demon had something more up his sleeve, a plan of his own set in motion by Rin's supposed death, and giving them a place to start, nothing had been found. Honestly, he expected more of the youngest Okumura- even if there was so little on Oriens from the beginning.

Sighing he refocused his attention and moved towards the older Okumura's room. He pointed a gloved finger at the knob and sang, "Eins, zwei, drei~" There was a click and the handle turned itself, swinging open and allowing him entrance. Immediately he heard the sound of a heart monitor and the wheeze of a breathing machine. It wasn't entirely necessary to had the latter anymore but the doctors here wanted to play it safe. And they'd turned the gas off a few days ago so his little half-brother should be waking up again soon.

But before then, there was something that had to be done.

Moving around to the side of the teenager's bed he snapped his fingers and a pink arm chair popped into existence. Whirling around with a swish of his cloak he sat himself down into the flamboyantly decorated chair hovering slightly off the ground- after all, what was the point of a chair if it couldn't hover? He did a little looming over his youngest brother, bobbing his head this way and that as he carefully examined his appearance.

He looked better than he had 6 days ago, but he was still pale and his eyes still appeared rather bruised. The bandages on his chest were not as thick as before and the sheen of sweat on his body had been cleaned off by an oh-so-lucky nurse. Periodically.

Mephisto looked forward to telling the teen how he'd needed someone- and a woman at that- to practically _bathe _him while he slept. What an expression that would warrant!

Smiling devilishly he returned his attention to the original reason for his coming here. There was not a person in the BDRI that could touch the teenager's tail at this point in time. A few attempts had been made but the last person who had dared to reach for it almost lost an arm. This meant the tail had not been properly groomed in over a week.

Kasei growled at him, his head resting on Rin's side across from the purple haired daemon. Any attempts made towards moving the hatchling all week had been thoroughly thwarted by his tantrums. As expected of a baby dragon.

The older demon tsked three times and lifted the sheets from his younger half-sibling, reaching for the blue appendage beneath. As a demon related to him, Mephisto found he was able to grab the appendage and bring it closer with little more than a few irate twitches. Amused by its weak flipping he brought the blue-black appendage out and above the sheets. A growl hummed in the back of Rin's throat and his smile widened.

"Eins, zwei, drei," he said again and a table appeared beside him. Placed on top of it was a bowl filled with some kind of foggy purple liquid with various bubbles floating around its surface like hundreds of miniature glass domes. It emitted a smell somewhere between watermelon and bubble gum, a combination that would surely bother the teen when he woke. Beside it there was another, bigger bowl filled with water and a fluffy, extra soft towel. A larger towel arrived in a puff of smoke beneath the healing half-demon's tail. At the same time , the sub-king's usual attire was replaced with a set of turquoise scrubs. Finally, a pair of latex gloves snapped over his fingers to complete the set.

A diabolical smile swept across his face. His eyes glowing in the shadow his hat cast over the roguish expression and Mephisto's manic grin spelled all kinds of mischief.

"Well then, let's begin, my littlest younger brother~"

Grabbing a pink wash cloth he set it in the heated bowl of water, soaking it, wringing it out a little, and then running it along Rin's tail to wet it. The teen shifted lightly in his sleep, his breath catching and chest tensing. Kasei growled again at his side, putting his paws beneath him should he need to pounce on the offending demon. In an attempt to make himself more threatening, the little one raised the scales along his spine and bared his teeth.

Fortunately these efforts had been rather fruitful the past week, scaring off multiple people.

Unfortunately for him, Mephisto was not a _nurse._

The sight of his half-brother's discomfort made Mephisto smile wider; he was only doing this so he could tell the younger that he washed his tail for him when he woke up. (He told himself it wasn't because he was anxious or concerned in the least.)

Come to think of it, this was excellent blackmail material.

Another snap of his fingers and a few words brought forth a camera, hovering in the air over his shoulder and already filming the entire thing.

There, all set.

Pleased with himself the King of Time and Space set back to work, taking the cloth between the bowl and Rin's tail. Soon the water was getting foggy with blood and muck, passed from the eldest Okumura's appendage to the bowl of formerly-fresh-water. It took somewhat longer to completely soak the end of his little brother's tail but it didn't bother the demon sub-king. Rin's instinctive wriggling and frequent growls amused him. Meanwhile Kasei was only able to threaten an attack, his instincts keeping him from doing anything more. For a hatchling he definitely wasn't stupid.

"Come now, is that any way to repay your kind and wonderful aniki who's taken time out of his own schedule to care for you?" he sneered, tightening his hold on the flipping appendage and pressing his thumb into the bangle. Rin went still at this and even swallowed thickly, eyelids twitching.

Putting the hand towel in the bowl of water he lifted the limp tail up to give it a proper examination, now cleared of the blood obscuring it. The blue sheen that normally adorned it had faded to a dull, grimy and dry appearance. The tuft of fur at the end was matted and tangled. Mephisto frowned, it was a shame such a beautiful tail had been subject to so much mistreatment. Humans were really such vile creatures.

Pointing a finger at the bangle he uttered a few verses deriving from the same spell used to seal it in place. A sharp gasp of pain erupted from Rin and his fists tightened, shoulders pulling back, chest thrust out. His Adams apple bobbed as he pushed his head into the pillow, throat exposed and vulnerable. Kasei hissed and stood up again, little sparks pouring down and off his tongue where they disappeared before ever reaching the sheets. The black hatchling's usually dilated pupils had become mere slivers of black, the movements he made slow and measured.

Mephisto gave him no attention whatsoever.

"Oh my~" he exclaimed instead and looked the damage over more closely. The fur beneath the bangle was matted with sweat and blood, he could even see burn marks engraved into the skin. These marks were likely created more recently-probably this last week or so while Rin was asleep.

In reaction to the recently opened man-made Gehenna gate his demon's tail had probably been throwing sparks around rather frequently. To repress the demonic instinct the bangle would glow and smother the flame. Without this it was possible that the young demon might had woken up at night covered in his blue fire on several occasions- his control of it being what it was. Mephisto wondered if the teen could even begin to decipher the strange feeling echoing inside him because there was no way the bangle could completely repress such a strong sense. It was quite a bothersome feeling, even to the King of Time himself.

Why must humans be so foolish? They fear Gehenna and yet they devise methods of opening gates to it all on their own. Daemons didn't even had to try at this point. And hell, if it wasn't for that opening Oriens would never had escaped Gehenna in the first place!

Pushing these thoughts aside for later he picked up the wash cloth again and this time carefully dabbed the skin and fur. Rin hissesda nd arced his back a little, Kasei pining helplessly beside him.

From here Mephisto was actually moving gently, mopping carefully at the sores and observing tiny blisters with a strange look in his eye. The things the Vactican forced him to do to his brothers were almost enough to anger him. (Almost, he'd deny it if asked.) It took several minutes of careful work but he eventually had it sufficiently cleaned.

Putting the cloth away again he proceeded to dip his fingers into the bowl of purple liquid. He washed his gloved hands in the bubbly mixture before taking Rin's tail back up in his hands and sliding the soap through the fur. He worked his thumbs over the stalk, massaging the soap into his half-brother's sores and damaged hairs.

As he was working Rin began to calm- an effect of the particular soap he'd had Belial concoct. Gently rubbing it into the burns created by the bangle and feeling the bone beneath the skin, he listened carefully for any sounds of contentment coming from his patient. If it wasn't for his demon ears he would never had heard the faint purr in the back of his younger half-brother's throat.

A gleeful smile escaped him at the sound and he continued his efforts. This was yet another reason why he wasn't making Belial do this for him. The best part was that Rin had no idea that he was doing it even as it increased in volume. It'd been a very long time since his tail had been treated so well at the hands of another.

Mephisto decided that he really liked this soap.

Kasei, however, sniffed the air and decided that he did _not_ like this soap. What was with that smell, anyway? Prowling forwards he moved down and crossed over Rin's legs, sidling up to the peculiarly scented tail. It was wrapped in tiny lavender colored bubbles that had been worked beneath the thin layer of short hair. His nostrils flared and he cringed back, putting his paw-claws over his sensitive nose and grunting in disapproval.

It took a few minutes but the green-eyed demon managed to untangle the knots in his half-brother's tail and soon enough he finished washing out the soap. Rinsed, washed, and dried the tail was once again gleaming a healthy blue. Satisfied with his work, Mephisto clapped his hands and all the items- chair excluded- disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kasei was still watching him pretty closely but seemed to _finally _accept that what he was doing was not to cause harm. Well, physically anyway.

Now the sub-king pulled a comb from his pocket and began working at the end of Rin's tail. As he combed through the last of the tangles he heard a small grunt and looked up.

Blinking rapidly and eyes hardly more than a needle-width open, Rin stared at him. There was confusion in his eyes laced by dozy exhaustion, like a teenager studying for a test he didn't know he had at 4 in the morning. It was at this point that the purple haired demon would admit it did take a lot of work on the revivees part as well as the reviver, so as frustrated as he was that Rin had been taking his sweet time recovering he did had half a right to be as exhausted as he was.

But only half. (He didn't care that Rin had been legally _dead_ for almost 5 minutes. He was _actually _getting _bored _waiting for him to rouse.)

He set the comb down and folded his hands in his lap, smirking at the exwire, "come back to the world of the living yet?" he asked.

Rin managed to open his mouth a little and paused, like he expected his voice to come out of his mouth without any notable effort. Kind of like a speaker. He closed it when he realized his attempt wasn't working.

Mephisto watched as a small sigh escaped the eldest Okumura, no louder than the sound a summer breeze produced from a tree when it brushed through the branches. And for a while that's what the boy looked like as he slowly settled; an old oak tree relaxing in the wind. He certainly bore more weight and responsibility then most men who were twice his age ever had to. That weight had given the teenager an older shade to his vibrant cerulean eyes and Mephisto found himself almost fascinated by their depth.

His eyelids flickering as fast as a hummingbird could beat it's wings the teen gave in to the call of sleep, falling back into the dark abyss that had kept him consumed for the past 6 days.

Kasei plopped himself down on his guardian's pillow and shuffled his wings a bit, circling around a few times before settling in.

Examining his tail one last time Mephisto decided he had done a good enough job and stood up, chair disappearing behind him with a melodramatic poof., clothes returning to normal. He looked down at his slumbering half-brother, face tired but cleared of pain. The older demon expected great things from this one and he wouldn't let Rin disappoint him.

With that he turned and exited the room.

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><p>Of the four main BDRI branches the Eastern and the Western were among the largest. The Eastern held the prize for being the most accomplished. They had fantastic, brilliant, genius scientists on their side that worked all day and night to discover everything they could about the demons they helped to fight against. Renowned all over the world as being the number 1 demonology research industry, the eastern branch stands at the top. Not far below them was the Western Branch, though better known for their technology. The Western branch had to be good as they were situated so close to the Sennyo Mountain that the things they came up with in their research had such a habit of changing the scientists there had to be insanely flexible. Anything they found that they couldn't understand or work out was sent to the Eastern branch.<p>

The lunch room was rather large for the Western BDRI branch, the food at this sector known for its delicacy. Being that the people employed here worked 23 hours of the day the least the order could do to show its appreciation was supply them with good food- this was the same at all four cardinal branches. The room was fashioned like a restaurant the size of a football field. It had at least three entrances and along one side an enormous breakfast bar lay waiting for the chefs to place numbered meals upon. It had been set at the far eastern side of the campus-like community and so half of the room was facing the forest surrounding the area, therefore having booths for larger groups to seat themselves at. Several marble pillars struck diagonal lines through the expansive lunchroom as though the roof could not be held up without them. Scientists, doctors, and exorcists mingled about off duty, chewing on meals or sipping mugs of coffee as they went over a few files.

Among them Yukio sighed and put his head in his hands, listening to the patter of rain outside his window. He sat at a booth provided within the local BDRI lunchroom. Really, it was no surprise that they had a branch set up here. The place was a hot spot for all kinds of things to happen.

What with baby dragons appearing, demonic festivals and sub-kings emerging from hell when they shouldn't.

Kuro looked up at him, curled contentedly across the table. He'd been doing a lot more of that lately, following Yukio around as much as he'd followed Rin and finding a place to curl up as soon as he'd settled somewhere. Though, this was probably more because of some duty than because he wanted to.

Ignoring him, the brown haired exorcist looked over his results. Yukio was grateful that he had been given permission to pursue this assignment in locating Oriens. But he wasn't too thrilled about having companions around to bug him along the way. If he didn't have to worry about their safety then this would not nearly be as challenging as it was.

Or, so he thought.

In reality he was probably over thinking things and looking in all the wrong areas. Pushing away outside help, new ideas and untainted perspectives wasn't a tactic bound to hasten the process and deep down he knew this.

But…

Everywhere he looked he could see him; his elder brother watching his progress and shaking his head sadly. Right now he was across the expansive room by a window, not even looking at him. The ghostly spectrum looked sad and lonely where he was, glistening in the bright lights like he was covered in ice. Why must Rin continue to plague him even after his death, _why?_

Yukio glanced away quickly, his gaze going back to the documented efforts in front of him. He could feel Shura watching him closely from the bar, the other exwires in their respective rooms.

Taking his glasses off he rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. All across the white table in front him were scattered articles. His notes scrawled across papers and sticky pads, news articles stapled to pages he'd found online.

Subconsciously stiffening he looked outside, the rain pouring down so hard it almost shared a relation with a waterfall. His hands felt cold and clammy, flashes of his brazen brother's silent and bloodied corpse filled his mind's eye.

The youth's face paled.

Yukio swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to look away but he could see Rin standing in the rain now, his face turned upwards and his body soaked to the bone. He couldn't tear his gaze away from him, a blade glistening his elder brother's chest. Shock filled his eyes and sweat ran down the side of his face.

Why was he _here? _

Why couldn't he just leave Yukio alone? (Oh, please don't leave him all alone.)

His brother didn't look at him but his mouth moved, silent words pouring from his lips like the rain did from the sky.

_Why wasn't I saved? _(Why couldn't he be?)

"Oi, Yukio," an unconcerned sounding voice shot into his ear and he jumped sky high, heart practically exploding in chest out of surprise. "Woah, easy, Scardy-Cat-Four-Eyes! It's just me." His tired eyes fell into the slightly liquored gaze of one Shura Kirigakure. The woman had only downed a few drinks, wanting to stay sober so she could properly watch Yukio. She hadn't needed Mephisto to remind her to do that, she could already predict what would happen if she did not.

"My apologies," he muttered tonelessly and shifted, bringing his computer closer.

"Tche," Shura grumbled. Her eyes watched him closely. Unbothered by the overtness of the gaze, Yukio just continued looking through his notes. Scooting into the other side of the booth she released a wounded sigh. _This is totally unhealthy for him,_ she told herself, eyes still locked on the bruises beneath his eyes. "You're trying too hard," the red-head scolded her fellow exorcist and reached for the notes. Yukio slammed a hand down on the papers and glared at her.

"You don't need to see those," he said.

She snarled, "we're both on this mission dumbass-spotty-four-eyes."

"_Don't call me that,_" he ground out and she stopped, surprised by the threatening fire in his eyes. The two were tense, their moods unfit to deal with the situation together and grinding against each other.

As he turned to his work she withdrew her hand and reached into her pocket. Her eyes were closed when she set the yellow tassel on the table. The silk thread was a little bloodstained and the ends were frayed but it's still recognizable. She'd wanted the bangle at first but then realized that thing was not something with a lot of awesome memories and had left it to Mephisto. The Kurikara's tassel was the only thing she had right now.

When Yukio saw her 'weapon' on the table he went static.

"Where did you get that?" he asked quietly, eyes flickering to something outside that she can't see. Inwardly she grimaced, playing a little with the tassel. It was still soft as hell and she smiled a little. It reminded the bellicose demon slayer of warmer days filled with insults and onigri thrown from trees to a battling student- the master playing video games in the branches and shouting lackluster instructions. Turning the yellow woven silk over in her hands she allowed herself, just for a few brief moments, to be a little sentimental.

"We both know that I'm shit when it comes to soppy conversations Yukio, so you're a complete ass-hat for making me do this." She looked up at him. In the strong woman's eyes there was truth and regret, "you're not the only one going through this."

His eyes flashed but not with what she wants them to be flashing. His fist tightened and she had to try hard not to stand up and punch him in the face. It was just like talking to a damn brick wall. Just how impenetrable could this guy get? (This wasn't how he used to be.)

"I know," he said, "and I'll find Oriens."

She bit her lip and stood sharply, slamming a hand on the table, "that ain't going ta fix anything!" Yukio couldn't reply to that. "Do ya really think that's gunna make Rin happy? Do ya think this was what he meant? For ya to _starve_ yarself and push us all away?"

"Enough!" the other shouted and slaps the computer closed. He pretended that he couldn't see Rin watching him from outside. He had to do this, he had to find Oriens.

For Rin. For his elder brother.

"No, it's not enough," Shura snarled and grabs him by his collar. He was brought forwards, close enough that he could feel her breath on his face, "because yew can't respect his last words. He told yew to let them help yew but all yew've done is push them away and secluded yarself to studies. Didn't he mean anything to yew?!"

A few people turned their gazes towards them but no other actions were taken. Yukio snapped and jerked our of Shura's grip, grabbing her coat collar this time and pushing himself into _her_ bubble.

"How could you understand?" he snarled, "how could you ever understand?! He wasn't _your _brother, dammit! And this isn't some game! I'm taking this seriously, are _you_?" Yukio didn't give her the opportunity to respond and thrust her away, storming out of the lunchroom. People were staring but of course Shura didn't care. Seething, she could feel her storage seals warm up, ready to be used and she wanted so badly to rip her blade out and throw it at the boy in a fit of frustration. She was _trying_ but she wasn't Rin, she couldn't just say a few things and fix the situation.

She needed a beer, or a can of chuunai- how about anything alcoholic?

Instead she sat down at Yukio's former seat, gathered his materials up and headed towards the room the exwires were sharing. This was pathetic, the kids could do better than this.

"Moron," she left behind the word like one would abandon a puppy.

No more wasting time.

* * *

><p><strong>That horrible moment when you think your done working, it's 6 AM and then you realize other shit had to be done. e^e<strong>

**Also, when I wrote this I had 666 reviews.…*snorts***

**So anyway, the next update would either come on September 15****th**** or September 30****th****. **

**Until then!**

**EDIT: *rolls around* gosh, somehow, like the _genius _I must be, I managed to write this chapter in both past and present tense! :D So, I've been going through it as best I could but I've only done half so far. Please bare with these errors for a while before I could get back to them. Sorry guys! **

* * *

><p><strong>REVIEWS:<strong>

**ShiroHichi891: **Thank you, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I never actually specified that this fic was solely about Rin's tail but I understand the title serves certain implications so I try to draw it back on his tail every now and then. Plus, it's always fun to write about when I get an idea. :3 Hehehe, that's our tricky Mephisto for you. I can't tell if in the manga he cares beyond exploiting Rin as a weapon and I think in reality I wouldn't see this in the manga but I had an urge and wanted to try my best to make it work. He'll kick the crap out of Rin later. I get more into explaining his delusions later too, but for Yukio the future was not very bright. Hehe, thank you! I look forward to seeing your review (should you leave one) next time!

**Dowgma: **I love your little spazz attack there. XD I'm gladadadadadadadadad that you like it so much! :D

**Luffy1Ace1Sabo: **Thank you!

**matthouston: **I had several months left and even then I may be able to return again. I may keep this method for the future. (man, people could get _scaaary _when the hiatus sign comes out. Oxo most people try to guilt you back into it and some go into frenzies.)

**ThePurpleSuperCow: **I agree with this username. ._. Wait, you want to punch Mephy too? What did he do? (Aside from blackmail XD) It had all of da feels! Your little bro sounds adorable. Thanks! I'm currently putting said wood chipper through maintenance and cursing the exwires to hell and back for causing my block in the first place. :DI think I'm figuring it out, though….maybe…. =3=

**Hartanna: **Hehe, Mephy was one of my favorite characters so I'm glad that I'm able to give him a bit of the spot light. Oh man, still? Hum, I noticed the same thing when I corrected it, had to change some weird past tenses to present tenses. were there any specific places that it really jumps out at you? If so, please send me a PM telling me where the more obvious points are. I'll go through it again as soon as I could but my schedule's picking up again. Thanks so much for letting me know!

**LinkinParkTheKillersFan: **Hahahaha, it's better than a year though, right? I'm not sure _what _to think of Mephisto. I believe that as long as he sees Rin as a good weapon against Satan he'll lend him a hand every now and then. He was neither good nor bad. Yet. I see him as the type who would attempt to take Satan's place. He's an interesting character, I like him! Thanks, I look forward to updating again! :D

**Satanic Asch: **Oh really? The Okami OST? That sounds pretty interesting, I'll give it a listen sometime!

**Jay1997: **Hehehe, I thought the same thing. Thanks, I'm glad you like! :D

**Grapes: **Hehe, I'm glad I managed one! :D Ooooohhh, I look forward to that event.


	50. Meet the Scientist

***clears throat* …..*sags to the side*….zzzzz.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Meet the Scientist:

Beep….

Beep…

Beep…

"Shouldn't you be here? You know, to explain things to him?" an unfamiliar, accented voice.

Beep…

Beep…

Beep…

A muffled response and an angry sigh, "you are correct sir, but he is-"

Beep…

Beep…

Beep…

"Just until then?" it asks. There's a muted confirmation. "Yes, of course. I'll see you at that time then." A cellular beep. Something tugs his sheets down and fingers ghost across his chest, pressing against some round things that are sticking to the skin. They tickle his arm and situate the IVs. The fingers cross over his wrist and he can almost _feel _the shadow over his half-naked frame. "That clown expects far too much of my patient. One of these days I won't be able to resist punching him in the face," the voice mutters and plucks at his bandages.

Beep…

Beep…

-beep-beep

A swish as this newest unfamiliarity lifts his head and takes a look at the monitor, observing the heartbeat's skip. Then there's a dumbfounded silence for a few moments as Rin's awareness begins to catch up with him. Fresh medicine in the air, blood hovering above him, the scent of aftershave and mints. He can tell the bed he's lying on is not his own simply by how uncomfortably it cradles his body- this is definitely a hospital bed. The pain throbbing in his chest only further proves that belief.

The eldest Okumura doesn't really notice that his eyes are opening until the overhead lights blind him. Squinting he lifts his free arm up over his head, letting it rest on his eyes. Fuck- wow, is this _his _body? It doesn't feel like it. Why is it so heavy and weak? Why are there pin's and needles in his chest? And should his heart really feel so light? It's like its floating in his chest!

A low moan escapes his mouth without his consolation and he grimaces, hoping the stranger didn't hear it.

"Hehe," the voice from earlier surprises him with a laugh, "that's no surprise. By my calculations you weren't supposed to wake up for another week. Demon or not you're bound to feel kinda weird." An Irish man- clearly it has to be- tugs at his sheets one more time before grabbing a chair and sitting down with a solid _plunk._

Rin takes a moment or two to compose himself, confused and sore. After a few moments he lifts his lead-arm up a little and once again attempts to open his eyes. Uncomfortable, his tail slides out from under the sheets and tears glisten at the corners of his eyes but he keeps trying. Eventually he prys his eyes open, blinking rapidly as his guest waits patiently until he's composed enough to look around a little. The hospital room he's been put into is a little large; there's a bathroom to the bottom left of his bed and a door to the right. Way back at the farthest left there is a window and along the wall opposite the bathroom he's surprised to find a couch. There is a curtain rail on the ceiling that circles his bed.

His eyes fall to a man sitting beside him dressed in a white lab coat and looking somewhere in his late twenties- maybe early thirties. His hair is a vibrant red-orange, drawn back in a tiny pig-tail behind him and stark in contrast to his pale skin. Dark freckles dapple across the bridge of his nose. A pair of glasses cover his sparkling green eyes and under the lab coat he wears a green button-up shirt with a black vest over it. Strange fashion sense. The man lifts an eyebrow at him but Rin doesn't give him any kind of response.

His attention then turns to a pair of IVs leading needles into his arm, one is full of blood and the other has some kind of water-looking liquid in it. He can still hear the heart monitor but can't figure out where it is and there are almost 6 electrodes covering his bandaged chest. A thin sheet covers him from the waist down and there is something resting against his right thigh. He focuses his attention on it, blinking away a blur in his eyes. He can make out what has to be a tail, an arched back, and lizard-like face. The creature's eyes are a focused yellow-orange contrasting with the black scales that adorn his body. With his paw-claws drawn under him he lowers his front and sticks his back end in the air, tail wagging in quiet eagerness.

"K-Kasei?" his voice is dry and he wonders if it's just him or if that thing he felt tickling his throat was a chip of his voice box falling through his esophagus. He's not given much time to ponder the answer to that as the hatchling snaps open his wings, causing the man beside him to tilt back and fall out of his chair with a cry of surprise. A gust of wind as the little one hurls himself _right into Rin's face _is followed by a grunt and a gasp. "Kasei!" he rasps as best he can, "off, down, stopit-owowowowowow!"

A gleeful cackcackcackcackcacking sound claps out of the jubilant one's beak and he squirms with barely contained joy. Pushing his free arm beneath him Rin manages to lift himself a little off the bed, now fully awake, and forcing the little one to slide off his chest.

"Gah,_ bloody _hell," the man grunts, lifting himself up and watching the dragon dance on the bed, sending over-joyed sparks this way and that as he circles around himself.

"Kasei, knoc-" Rin begins to chastise but the black hatchling puts his paws on his clavicle and runs his tongue along the recovering half-demon's cheek. Eyebrow twitching Rin decides that, while he's glad to see the little one is okay, he's a bit fed up with the pain his joy is bringing him.

So what does he do?

He resolves the problem the Rin-way and promptly head-buts the excited hatchling right between the horns. Keening Kasei lowers himself to the sheets and covers his head with his paws, eyes screwed shut.

"Knock it off," he finishes. The red-head huffs leans forwards after a moment or so and grabs his pillows, stacking them behind the half-demon and eyeing Kasei with an interested, almost hungry look. Rin doesn't thank him just yet; the guy smells suspicious and something about him makes his tail stand on end. He's not liking the way the lights are glinting off his glasses. Seriously, is it some secret ability that people with glasses have; to make light obscure their eyes from those who are trying to read them?

"You're welcome, mate, glad to see you're alive and well," the red-head spoke up sarcastically, eyebrow raised. Rin, tired and still rather disoriented, seems to deem a glare as a fitting response.

"Who are you?" he rasps.

Another eyebrow is raised and he turns back towards his fallen chair. The Irish man flips it up, turns it around, and takes a seat. "My name is Dr. Mocci Canniff, First-upper class demonologist, biologist, and doctor of the Biology of Demons Research Institute- I'm a renaissance kind of scientist. You can call me Mocci." Rin opened his mouth but Mocci wasn't finished, "by the _way, _I saved your life. _Your welcome_."

The eldest Okumura stares at him for a long time, his mouth opened in a tiny 'o' shape, eye brows drawn together and lifting towards his hairline to form something almost like a confused glare on his face. It loosens when the words finally process.

Beep…beep.. .

'_Biology of Demons Research Institute- saved your life'. _His eyes grow wider as he finally comprehends the situation. He remembers a figure with white ram horns about to kill his brother, the chill of snow on his face, the sound of Yukio shrieking his name.

.beepbeepbeep

His brother looking down at him, Shura hovering off to the side with a look of _realization _on her face.

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep

Kuro curled around him with tears of grief in his eyes and Kasei beside him, sniffing his ear worriedly.

The horned demon nowhere in sight.

"Woah, woah there! I didn't mean to scare you, calm do-" Mocci holds his hands up in a gesture of peace and is caught off guard by the strength of Rin's grip when he catches the nearest arm.

"Yukio is-" he chokes out.

"-is _fine_. As are all the other exwires and exorcists that were there," the bespectacled man insisted, "most of them are stationed at the Western BDRI branch! No one died out there except for you so keep your butt down in that bloody bed," he pushes Rin back against the pillows. The eldest Okumura submits and his heartbeat calms down a little but it's obvious he's still wary. Mocci doesn't sit down and instead ops to eye his patient's blood pressure, glancing at the A type blood bag attached to Rin's arm. He pretends not to notice the younger usher his hatchling under the sheets so he could be protected from the BDRI scientist's gaze and laughs inwardly when the youngster migrates through the sheets like a death worm through sand until he's situated himself between Rin's legs. The poor teen hadn't exactly intended for that to happen but isn't given time to grab him back as Mocci stands up and goes to the other side of the bed. "These aren't really necessary anymore," he says. Pulling a square of gauze from his pocket he gently lowers it over the skin where the needle is stuck in, using his other hand to remove the tape.

"Usually, I wouldn't use two IVs on a person- it's just a bad idea for the body and might cause damage to the veins. But since you're not a human being it's possible to give both simultaneously and believe me, you really needed these this past week," he explained, pulling out the first needle and pressing against the open hole in Rin's arm to stop the bleeding. Keeping pressure on the wound he leans up and hooks the tube over the IV stand. "You're body's been under a lot of strain this past week," he says, and uses the gauze to rub the wound a little before lifting it up again to check, "it's had a really tough time healing as it normally would, probably due to the shock of dying so your body is recovering slo…w…er," he frowns and watches the skin stitch itself back together. Then he looks at Rin as though to say; why did you do that?*

"What?" he asks, dead-pan.

"When you do that you make my biologist homunculus want to rip out the other needle so it can watch how fast you heal," he grumbles and goes lower down the teen's arm to his hand so he can remove the second needle.

"Your _what?_" he demands and moves his hand before he can grab it, a guarded expression on his face while thoughts of; '_lunatic, crazy, mad scientist' _fill his brain.

"Stop it, I'm not going to hurt you. Not all scientists are crazy," he argues and grabs the limb back. Using another piece of gauze he repeats the same procedure from before so fast Rin can't even begin to think about taking his hand back.

"Yeah, but your that kind of demon obsessed thing," he says slowly. Mocci sighs.

"I'm a _renaissance scientist,_" he corrects him, "So I _study _demonology, demon biology, and I'm a doctor," the red-head leans forwards for emphasis, "_a doctor." _Rin growls at him a little, Kasei following his lead with a slightly higher pitch. Mocci leans back, "just how rude can you get?"

"Hey," Rin growls, "there are people like me in this world too. Lay off it!"

Mocci stands there, looking at him curiously for a while and Rin realizes he's not looking at him like he's an experiment, rather like he's an actual patient. Surprising, considering his previous experiences with the BDRI. After a minute or so he nods his head, like he's decided something, and walks over to the bathroom.

"Oi, get back here," Rin calls after him but his voice breaks off half-way and he's thrown into a mini coughing fit. While he's in bed hacking, Mocci is throwing away the gauze and grabbing a plastic cup from the dispenser beside the sink. When he returns it's with water.

"Here," he says, handing it to the teen. Kasei watches from under the blankets. All you can see of him is his face peeking out as innocent as he can be. Grateful, Rin takes the cup and drinks it, his eyes wandering to the window as he does.

Man, the rain is coming down hard out there.

He swallows one last mouthful of water and hands back the plastic container, suddenly engulfed by questions. How was he still alive? He thought for sure he'd died, right? Did Yukio know? What was he doing? Where was this place?

"It's getting a little stormy out there," Mocci comments, realizing the growing questions his patient no doubt has as he follows his gaze. Thunder rolls through the clouds and lightning flashes down. Then he smirks, "I'm sure section 4- the weather guys- are having a blast with the demons in this one." Rin doesn't seem to follow what he's said, too busy being lost in thought for once. Eventually Mocci sighs.

"Why am I alive?" Rin asks, deciding to start with the least important question. Really, it doesn't really matter how or why he's alive. He's alive, that's all he needs to know. What he really wants to ask is where Yukio is, but he doesn't feel as though he can trust a man from the BDRI with such a question.

"Because of the combined efforts of your hatchling and kin-daemon." Such a blunt and forthcoming answer wasn't quite what Rin had expected, "That little guy," he pointed to Kasei, "stored your soul in his gullet seconds before you could vanish off to the 'other side' or wherever things go after they die. With your spirit stored in him Mephisto took you're body back here and," he trailed off. How could he explain what that guy had done? He'd observed fire, a pentagram, plenty of sparks and a demonic chant he had no hopes of understanding. Along with several other doctors and nurses, he'd been rather busy making sure they were ready to get to treatment milliseconds after his soul was returned so his attention had been cut in half. Mephisto had only had a few moments left to revive the teen so he hadn't wasted a second and that meant things flashed past at a remarkable pace.

Mocci was, however, left with an image. The lights had flickered out, a dark, black pentagram had formed underneath the youth and a tiny storm seemed to be raging around him. Kasei had stood on his chest, regurgitating a blue-white substance that looked just like a florescent drop of blue food coloring in a cup of black water. It curled around itself, twisting and dancing in the dark as it was fed into Rin's mouth and nose. Before he knew it the boy was gasping, blood was shooting out of his mouth and he'd transformed from a lifeless corpse to a writhing, screaming, very much alive mess.

"You could say I did the basic equivalent of reversing time on your body but obviously that's not quite the case since your wound stayed the same. So we'll just say I brought you back with a bit of black magic and draconian tricks," a familiar voice hummed and Rin snapped his head to the side. Mephisto stepped into the room with a casual wave, "how nice it is to see you awake, Okumura Rin."

"Mephisto?!" he cries and gasps, putting a hand over his chest and grunting painfully.

"Now, now, no need to get so excited," the elder daemon smiles and comes to stand beside the younger's bed.

"Dammit, where the hell am I? And what's going on with Yukio?" At this Mocci glances between them; so that's what he sounds like when he's comfortable.

"You're at the Eastern BDRI's branch, in Poland. As for Yukio, he's still in Japan at the Western Branch doing some work I assigned him," Mephisto explains without batting an eyelash. "As for you," he begins before Rin can counter, "you will be spending the next week or so at the Eastern Branch, training with Amaimon and practicing the purity of your flames. You'll understand what that means later. Mocci will be watching you and treating injuries you may receive along the way." The demon's eyes narrow menacingly and Rin shuts his mouth for once; he knows what that look means. "Those flames need to be improved before you can have any hope of destroying Ambaggon."

"Ambaggon?" his charge asks.

"The name of the demon who killed you. If you can't get him first he'll end up killing your brother too," Mephisto snaps his fingers and a pink chair pops into existence. With a whirl he takes a seat, not at all missing the dangerous flash in Rin's eyes. "He's the master of illusions," he tilts his head and watches the teenager's expression change.

"The Kurikara," he began.

"-is right here," and out came the sheath of a completely unblemished sword. With eyes wide Rin grabbed the precious item and quickly unsheathed it, sucking in a breath of shock as his flames roared off the mune and dripped over the hamon. He almost felt as though his heart stopped in his chest for a moment as the flames spread across his own frame, rising in temperature and threatening to burn the sheets.

Is this what they felt like after being dormant for a week? His forced control was strained as they threw themselves against the bit and tried to yank the reins from his hands. Was he weaker or had they become more powerful?

Mocci watched him, too fascinated by the sight of his fire to notice his distress. He wanted to learn about that flame, perform tests and see just how far it could go. The demonologist wanted to learn what family they came from, what their composition was made from, how the _emotion _of a human being could affect them. Far too little was known about these azure beauties curling over the youth's body and he wanted to discover all their secrets.

All too soon for his liking Rin sheathed the sword and turned back to Mephisto. "Over the course of this week you will learn how to fight properly with your flames and with your sword. Because taking that blade from you was like stealing candy from a baby." The blue-black haired exorcist's ears almost seem to flatten against the side of his head and he growls at him. "Of course, if I hadn't you wouldn't be alive right now," he adds.

"So the blade that was pulled out of his chest wasn't the real thing?" Mocci only asked for Rin's benefit as he was already given debriefing covering the subject. He figured that if he didn't ask, his patient would never know and would never ask.

The purple haired demon nodded, "it was nothing more than the most genius of replicas ever created," was Mephisto's proud explanation, an impish grin on his face and his head tilted back. "It was created to channel your flames through it when you held it unsheathed but if someone else had removed it from its saya nothing would have happened. The experience should have been something like putting a car in neutral. You can press on the pedal all you want but the car isn't going to move and faster." Rin's expression turned into one more of understanding; so that's what that was. He'd felt, very faintly, like something was wrong but there hadn't been time to focus on it. His gaze fell over the blade in his hands. This one felt more appropriate in a way that he couldn't simply put to words. It just fit in his hands better.

"You knew this would happen then?" Rin is unusually suspicious and Mephisto can tell his trust in him is dwindling. At least he can be sure that the idiot is taking this whole dying thing seriously.

He laughs it off, "Hah, of course not!"

"Then why-"

"Should that honestly be your concern right now?" Mephisto's eyes have returned to being demonic, insinuating a threat and narrowing on the teenager. A bead of sweat falls down the side of Rin's face and his pulse quickens a little. The other grins and stands up, "you have until tomorrow to finish recovering. After that you will train 'your heart out'" with one last wicked grin the demon sub-king has left the room. Which leaves Mocci there seething beside him, grumbling about procedures and heart wounds and how he shouldn't be up and moving around for at least 2 more days.

He can tell this is going to be a tiresome relationship.

* * *

><p><strong>*In case it's not obvious; the trauma of dying pulled a couple 'plugs' in Rin's head, metaphorically speaking of course. This meant that his flames sort of did the equivalent of going into shock and couldn't really figure out if there was still a life essence left to heal and as an unfortunate result took their time healing. I've also mentioned that they have a harder time healing certain organs and all so all of these things make the healing process a very miserably slow experience. I imagine that for a few extra features the whole event was made twice as confusing to poor Rin as it would to a normal human being. Too bad I'm not a biologist; otherwise I could get more into the explanation. <strong>

***Ambaggon = to **_**'Abaddon'**_** the King of the Demons of Hell. His name is a play of Abaddon, but they share some pretty similar qualities too. You'll find out more about him later. I WOULD use Abaddon but he's not actually an illusionist….:( **

**I have too many drabble ideas and not enough filler arc ideas. But I guess that's a good thing.**

**EDIT: I loved correcting this today; there's a storm outside so it fits the mood. Rain, thunder, lightning, the works. **

**Next chapter comes out on **October 31st**. (**_**Maybe **_**October 15****th****, though it's not as likely.) **

***After this chapter I'll switch to just PMing everyone back. Now that I know my PM system actually _works _I think I'd prefer to use that method than swamp the chapter with everyone's awesome, awesome reviews. XD**

**REVIEWS: Thanks for the reviews! :D**

**Aka-sama: **bahaha, glad to see you enjoying it so much! I was so happy I kept the little guy around when I got that idea. Is he? Mocci? Hm. XD Woah, thanks for the appreciation!

**Winged Golden Tiger: **My strength in this one is Mephy's mysteriousness so I don't have to fill _all _the loop holes, they can be worked together by others. I'm glad, his character sort of irks me; even if he's my own I hate OC/side-characters that have a role like this. :3 (I'm glad I can succeed there. xD) Thank _you _for the review!

**Unknownmusic: **thank you, I'm happy to see you liked it!

**Lovrlessfighterbeloved1: **Thank you, thanks for reading!

**Love Psycho: ***facepalm* I knew something was wrong somewhere! I went ahead and fixed that, thanks for letting me know! Huzaaaaaaahh**, cupcakes- **(my cat has his paws on the touch-mouse pad and just clicked bold RIGHT as I typed in 'cupcakes' …. o..o)

**LinkinParTheKillersFan: **Uh'oh. I do? I plan on developing the character more as it progresses but I hope he's not too bad right now. He is, no time for breaks with what I have coming….. :3 I doooo. Haha, glad you like! :D

**Dowgma: ***throws a party* Totally, hopefully I'm not too ahead of myself though. XD Aww, thank you! I'm glad you like it, thanks for the review!

**ToscaThorCat: **Huzaah! (I'll keep that in mind when I write future chappies ) )

**Tsukinopen: **I'm glad that you think so.

**Edwenlas: **I know, I was surprised too. Time really flies. Haha, I'm happy to see that your enjoying the story! :D

**Pink Pickles: **Not for awhile, it's gunna be a looooong week. I wonder if I should change that to a month….gaaaaaah, yeah, yeah I should.

**Dalvanbraginski: **SSSSHHHHHH, sleep deprivation is a TERRIFYING thing my friend. *it's 4:06AM* XD If my brain thinks it knows what its talking about it goes to paper. SSSSHH. Yeah, I'd meant to say the opposite of that but it seems my fingers denied me, oopse!

**DreamweaverAki: **Thank you, he always does. X)

**Winged Element: **Huzzah! Totally, thank YOU for the review!


	51. Men, Women, and Beasts

**Happy Halloween everybody! :D It's a shame this isn't really a scary chapter. (I **_**do **_**have a scary-ish extra that I've been saving for later…or I could write something short? *struggles for a bit*)**

**Tell me all your spooky Halloween stories instead. :D**

**Disclaimer: I own the right to lie and say that I own this. Then I also own the right to get sued by people who don't care and probably don't speak a shred of English. And if they do, well, I'll turn to español. (don't. .)**

Men, Women, and Beasts:

Bon lay with his back flat against the bed, listening silently to the patter of rain outside.

He grit his teeth, chewing over the information Shura had delivered to them yesterday. This past week Yukio had made just a little more progress with his research than the rest of them, but it wasn't much. They at least knew that Oriens was up to something in the area, something that had to do with summoning a creature that made the Impure King look like a child throwing a bitch-fit.

But that information only made the process more infuriating because now they had a basic grasp of just how genuinely serious this situation was getting but they didn't know any of the _important _details.

All they had was a vague grasp, and by Bon's standards, that was not nearly enough. He wanted to get this guy too, but not just because he'd managed to kill Rin. The teen wanted to be sure this could not happen again, he could not rest until he was certain that this Oriens could not hurt any of his friends in such a way. And if this meant that he had to ignore the younger Okumura then he was more than willing to follow through with that. As far as he could be concerned right now, the guy was already dead and while he pitied him Bon found that there were far more productive things to be done.

"Bon?" Konekomaru's voice broke him out of his revere. The bald monk's view of the situation was a little different, though. He truly felt for Yukio and wished to help him, but he realized there was nothing he or any of them could do. It would take a lot more than a week for the younger Okumura to recuperate after watching his beloved brother die right in front of him. And he also silently understood that despite what Bon may seem to say about it he _was _worried. He _did _care for the youngest Okumura, it just may be a little while before he could settle down. Normally he carried a level-head but they all cared for Rin a great deal and it felt as though Yukio thought he was the only one suffering. That indifference was what really ticked Bon off.

He sat up and met the bald monk's worried gaze, "yeah? Did you find something?" the monk asked.

The other sat at a desk provided at the far end of the room, leaning over a laptop that Shura had also been wise to drop off. On his own bed was Shima, moaning over a bunch of articles and books. The pinkette sank forwards, rolling to the side and letting himself slide gracelessly off the bed.

"I think my brain is melting," he moaned dramatically. Konekomaru gave him a knowing glance.

"I think so, come take a look at this."

The elder stood up from his bed, leaving behind the various papers and a computer of his own. As a few sheets fluttered to the floor he supposed they should probably move to the lunchroom where they will have more space. Shura had told them to stay in the room and away from Yukio since they had _his _notes and all. But at this point he honestly just didn't care; they needed the space and if that guy wanted to give them trouble then, since Rin wasn't here to do it, he might as well punch him in the face for him.

And Hell, maybe they'd get input from one of the wandering scientists down there too. Though many of them seemed too busy to spare a moment to even catch a breath lately.

"What did you find?" he asked and looked over the younger's shoulder, gazing at the computer's findings. Displayed on the monitor was a black and white designed website with various demonic advertisements at the corners. Several tabs displayed options, one for demonic worship, one for a list of demonic servants, one for contact information and history, and one last one with a list of sub-kings. Konekomaru had browsed through the list and discovered Oriens's name. Clicking the hyperlink below the prince's title had brought up a dismal looking paragraph explaining the origins of the bastard's name and little about the bastard himself.

"It's not much, but Oriens is supposed to be the King of the East, right?" Konekomaru began, Shima lifting himself off the floor and coming over to listen.

"That's what all the documents keep saying," he verified.

"Well, look at this; there are three ways to write his name. 'Oriens' from Latin is the equivalent of '_rising_' or '_eastern_' meaning; 'The King of the East'. But when it's written as 'Urieus' the meaning in Latin changes. It says here that 'Urios' can also be translated to wind, right?" Bon nodded, so he continued, "And during the," he hesitated, swallowed thickly, then pressed on, "the battle at the gorge Kirigakure-sempai said that he used wind when he fought. This leading us to believe that his element is wind. But it also says here that the third way to write his name, 'Uriens', shows that the meaning changes a third time; in Latin 'Uro' basically means '_to burn_' or to '_devour with flames._'"

"So wait, does that mean that this guy also has control over fire?" Shima caught on.

Bon bit his lip and turned back to his bed, "it might. Shima, look through those text books- particularly the copy of _Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage_. Try to verify if that's true. I'm going to look around the data base in that spare lab room, maybe I can find some documents on his servants that can help figure out both this thing he's trying to summon and his own powers." With that said he gathered up his notepad and headed for the door.

"And what about the girls?" Shima asked.

"They're still in the library right? Just leave 'em, they'll come tell us if they've found anything," the teenager with a cocks-comb replied and left the room, locking it behind him.

For a while the room stayed very silent, both boys watching the static door for a few heartbeats in deep thought.

"Koneko-san," the pink-haired monk finally broke the motionless quiet.

His friend turned back to Yukio's computer, "yeah?"

"I think all this research is going to kill me."

He wasn't given the dignity of receiving a response.

* * *

><p>Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic.<p>

Fwip. Shhht. Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Sigh.

"Was it over here?" a vein throbbed on Izumo's forehead. "No, it was this chapter."

Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Tic. Flwipipipipipthhhhsht. Plop. "Ah, here is the chapter. '_Many brilliant abilities are attributed to the infernal King of the East, Oriens, that include things such as answering questions of the past, present, and future, giving the power to fly, providing familiar spirits, and_," Sheimi's voice trailed off unexpectedly and her red-eyed companion looked up from one of the _Three Books of Occult Philosophy_. Her eyes had faded to a dull green, some pathetic ghost of a color in comparison to their usual shine. Looking over her shoulder she read the line; _and reviving the dead_. So that's what had her thoughts wandering off again. Aside from Yukio no one was hit harder by Rin's death than the blonde sitting beside her.

She tired playing it off a little but her efforts were futile. She was driving them all crazy- crying herself to sleep at night as she had been this week. And Izumo's rather lame attempts to help her were only effective for a few hours. Thankfully, by Saturday the girl seemed to be lifting her spirits a little and whenever Yukio wasn't around she seemed a little brighter. But should the gloomy-rain-clouded professor happen to pass by- or even if his name came up- she would once again become somber.

"_Oriens controls a vast number of other demons who share his powers which can be loaned upon command. _That could mean he can give the rakshasas he has under his control the power to fly? What good is that, they're already transformation demons," she muttered, hoping that by reading aloud her own notes she may bring the girl back to reality.

"Huh- oh, yes! I keep finding information about his control over eastern demons but I can't find anything about his own powers aside from this passage," Shiemi pointed out. There was a small pout on her face and Izumo wasn't pleased by the hope she saw flickering through her eyes. They were locked on the last sentence of the same line she'd just read.

"Oi," she sighed, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She couldn't let the girl chase herself around in circles with some ridiculous belief that they could force Oriens to revive Rin. "It wouldn't work. You can't honestly think we could convince that guy to revive him, right? And even if we could we'd have to sacrifice someone else in return."

The blonde jumped a little and looked at her, the library suddenly seeming several frightening levels quieter than it had before. She looked down at the large, embellished mahogany desk beneath her, staring at the polished wood like a girl who had been reminded of an ex she still loved. There were tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"I-I know," she stammered. Izumo didn't look away from her, swallowing nervously. She wasn't exactly experienced in his kind of thing- this was really Paku's department.

Taking a deep breath she clapped her book closed and stood, "there isn't anything we can do about it now." Leaving Shiemi at the desk she began to wade through the bookshelves again but stopped just before she could be devoured by the isle, "he'd probably want you to move on and be happy. So stop moping about it already." Then she disappeared once again.

This left Shiemi alone at the table, staring after her with a look of realization on her face. Suddenly her expression scrunched up, chin and lip quivering madly. Those emerald green eyes sparkled with unshed tears, glassy and glimmering. "You're right," she murmured. The silence around the long study table was filled with the whispers of passing scientists, the tick of a great grandfather clock, and the patter of rain on the window panes. Finally, the blonde lifted her hands and slapped them against either side of her face. Shaking her head roughly she grabbed the next book and flipped it open.

This is for Rin _and _for Yukio.

* * *

><p>-<em>6 hours earlier at the Eastern BDRI Branch-<em>

Rin growled.

IRVENE growled back.

He dipped his head down and Kasei spat sparks out his mouth, a grand smile curling across his face as he stuck his long neck out to the goliath below. It was a chestnut-furred, red-eyed hell hound crouched with its tail in the air and teeth bared. The thing was huge, standing about the height of an extra-large Great Dane but with a body shape more in likeness to that of a Dire Wolf. He recognized it as the same demon he'd seen watching the southern entrance during his tour of the place this morning.

The guard dog had come rocketing down the enormous open hallway connecting the lunchroom to the rest of the building only a few moments ago. Rin, in the middle of eating his first lunch in a week, looked up from his table beside the window to see the great red beast flashing past the pillars and headed straight for him. Several scientists let out alarmed cries, lunch trays clattering to the floor and drinks spilling across the marble as it skittered into the room and turned sharply towards the floundering exwire.

What was he _supposed_ to do? Only 4 or 5 of the three-hundred-plus people in this building knew what his real identity was so he couldn't use any of his flame to defend himself.

Experimental hell hounds like IRVENE were more than capable of being as dangerous as the untamed ones without a proper trainer. On occasion they went rabid, killing members and taking their souls to hell after feeding on their flesh. Thankfully those moments were rare, otherwise they wouldn't have them on base. And otherwise their bodies could not be used as a part of the gigantic warding seal that kept all cardinal branches protected from demons.

Nonetheless, the possibility meant that no one really wanted to approach the presumably failed guard dog. Rin, being the son of Satan, shouldn't have been all that surprised that the demon had been attracted to his position but was nevertheless unsure of what to do with it. Was it growling at him because it wanted to fulfill its duty and take him to Gehenna? Or was it just insane?

"Sorry!" an unfamiliar voice shouted and he looked up, Kasei reaching out a paw-claw and batting at the creature's muzzle with his head tilted to the side curiously. He was like a kitten playing with something it had never seen before. "I was putting her in the transport container when she suddenly took off!" Rin only had to look at the middle-aged man to know that he was her designated tamer, the two likely forced upon each other by necessity. Because tamers were so few the BDRI had taken to experimenting on hell hounds, playing with their senses until they would accept the humans as superiors. It was almost like hypnosis.

A disgruntled looking black-haired, squinty eyed scientist came tearing down the corridor, sweat on his face and breath coming fast. He took one look at the hell hound and gestured for her to come, "IRVENE, heel. Come on, it's time for transport." The dog lifted her tail up, a gesture indicating she had found prey, and raised her head, pressing her ears forwards with a growl. "IRVENE, no," her handler commanded fiercely, fingering something in his pocket. A shrill shrieking sound filled the lunch room suddenly and the poor dog flattened her ears, lowering her bushy tail in submission.

For Rin it was as though his ear drums just imploded and it took everything he had not to cry out and cover them, his skull threatening to split itself in two. Thankfully it was over before any real damage was done and the hell hound was following its master out the door, glancing back at him once before disappearing around the corner.

And yet, despite the noise no one but Rin seemed to have noticed the horrible shrieking sound. Scientists, demonologists, all sitting at their tables and seeming completely unphased by the terrible sound. Even Kasei didn't seem all the affected by it. He shook his head and massaged his ears.

Oh yeah, he did _not _like the BDRI.

* * *

><p>-<em>Presently, at the Northern BDRI Branch<em>-

IRVENE sniffed the air, eager to explore her new territory at the Northern BDRI branch. As a new addition to the hell hounds stationed here she would be taken through the building to see what she was up against. This meant she could see what the place looked like- memorizing the complex as she did so- and grow accustomed to the new sights and scents. It also meant that she could figure out what kind of demons she was guarding against.

There was thick despair in the lunchroom when she entered, her handler walking beside her as oblivious as usual to the scents around him.

Sniffing madly the hell hound wove around tables and chairs, barely letting her tamer stop to talk with various exorcists and scientists he knew along the way.

"You taking IRVENE around the compound before setting her up with a post, Ivan?" one asked.

"Yep, she seems pretty comfortable with the place already, doesn't she?"

IRVENE forced herself not to growl at them; are you kidding? This place is a practical death-trap! It's right outside the Mouth-Mountain, how could it _ever _be comfortably safe?

Eventually she narrowed the scent down to a familiar face, sitting at a booth with a cup of brown water in hand. His turquoise eyes were set on something shiny outside, a flickering motion that she quickly recognized. A low growl rumbled up through her throat and she spread her legs, bearing her dripping fangs. The despair took on a tint of surprise as the brown haired exorcist looked down at her, blinking tiredly.

His scent.

It was just like _his_. Just like the prince's.

But at the same time it was different; there was no danger to this one. No power in him. Nothing she needed to guard against.

"Again IRVENE? What is with you?" her handler said, "geeze, this behavior is why we had to come down here in the first place."

He reached for her but a hiss stopped them both. The hell hound's tail flipped between her legs and she bowed low against the ground, a startled whimper escaping the large demon-dog as she cowered in fear. A cat sith stood on the table, seething down at her in its half form. The thing was no bigger than the canine's head but she knew better than to rile the creature up. It could snap her body in half like it was no stronger than a porcelain twig.

"**What do you want?**" he snarled.

Quivering in fear she scooted back over the ground, "**nothing, great king-of-human-soul-stealing. I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you, please forgive me.**" She bows her head against the ground.

"Hey, keep your sith under control," her tamer tells the prince's-look-alike. She snarls at him, such a _foolish _human! Why could she not just eat him?

"He isn't mine," the other human states, gathering up some papers and turning to leave.

"Hey, wait a second- you look like-" Ivan starts, confused and surprised as he finally caught the similarity.

"Excuse me?"

When the boy turns around he takes a closer notice of the brown hair, turquoise eyes, and glasses. No, it must just be his imagination. He didn't want to embarrass himself because the mountain is making him see tricks. This guy seems pretty stiff, too, wouldn't want to piss him off.

"Nothing, never mind," he shakes his head, "sorry." The teen nods and walks away, boots tromping over the wood flooring. The cat sith glares at IRVENE again, the fur along his back standing on end.

"**If you touch him, hell hound, I'll steal your soul and eat it,**" he threatens harshly. Leaping from the table he trots up to the human's heels, tail and head high in the air. He hates dogs.

For a few moments there is nothing but a thoughtful silence.

"This place is strange already, isn't it IRVENE."

"**Shut up, human**."

* * *

><p><strong>Cat vs dog= cat wins….<strong>

**I'll mention it here; until something attempts to kill the exwires I am going to be thoroughly bored with them. Fake-Oriens, where are you when I actually **_**want **_**you?**

**There are still some holes in this chapter that bother me so if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to explain. (I feel so disorganized right now. ^ )**

**The next update will come: **_**November 26 **_**or**_** November 30th**_

**Cheers!**

**-FT**


	52. Damatte Keiko

**I'm not totally liking how this is all going…. :/**

**NOTE: SORRY! I didn't have time to correct this one so you'll find things dotting around. D:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

* * *

><p>Damatte Keiko:<p>

Rin watched curiously as Mocci fiddled with a series of cables across the room. He stood in the center of what appeared to be a dome-like room- reached through the usage of a magic key Mephisto had given to them. This peculiar building was parked in the middle of nowhere- in this case 'nowhere' was on the side of a cliff in India. Its architecture would be beautiful, covered in vines and with a white, temple-like structure to it. Laboratory 9, also uniquely known as Lacie, was enormous. The main room was a 390ft dome with a 30 foot, circular window in the center of the roof to provide it some natural light.* Wrapping around the enormous tholos were the other facilities: infirmary, bathrooms, a couple of closets…**

Yeah it was mostly just the dome, actually.

In any case, it _would _be beautiful if Rin ever got the chance to see it from the outside. He'd spent the first 12 hours of his day battling an enraged Amaimon in his head- the same way he had when Mephisto demanded they have dinner together. This meant that today he'd been 'killed' at least 231 times.

And he was supposed to be able to kill Amaimon _easily _by the end of the week.

Oh boy.

After watching the half-demon heal himself again and again, Mephisto had apparently grown bored and thrown him towards Mocci. They'd exchanged some words Rin had been way too disgruntled and confused to listen to before he was whisked through a door and found himself in the middle of Laboratory Lacie. Although, the red-head explained it was more like a place where they could train certain demons than a lab.

"What the hell are we doing here?" he shouted to the renaissance man, busy hooking up a mass of wires to some machine. He'd closed himself off in an observatory protected by a type of glass that put shame to any kind of bullet proof material- which he'd learned was a transparent cousin of orion metal.

Weird.

Rin could see him moving back and forth through the room and knew he could hear him because there were various speakers throughout the room.

The guy reached over and pressed one of many buttons, speaking into a mic as he attempted to untangle a few cords, "Setting up. Just hold on, I'll be out in a bit."

Crossing his arms over his chest Rin grumbled and turned his head up, watching the stars through the skylight, his tail flicking behind him. There was a full moon tonight, its silver glow cascading through the window and pouring across his frame. It felt good, like a cool summer wind after a hot day or a refreshing drink immediately following a run.

Beneath his skin, his flames flickered eagerly. The black haired youth wanted to turn off the lights and just bask in the milky glow, let his energy pour out and consume the room freely. Closing his eyes he opened his mouth and sighed, shoulders rising and falling with the motion.

What was Yukio doing right now?

"Alright, almost ready," Mocci's voice startled him a little but he refused to let it show on his face. He'd left the observatory and had begun making his way towards Rin, leaving a line of cables behind him as he walked. If it wasn't the BDRI this half-demon might not be afraid of such a sight but given his experiences with this branch on _day 1_ he wasn't particularly eager to know what those were for.

How proud his younger brother would be if he knew Rin had absorbed everything Mocci'd told him about this place today. Given that he was walking around on the demonic equivalent of a trigger-happy mouse trap he'd actually thought it might be a good idea to pay attention this time. That and he wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible so he could rejoin his brother. Mephisto had told him that Yukio already knew he was alive but he was a deceiving bastard. Even Rin could tell he was up to something.

"Oi," he began.

"Chill," the red-head interrupted, holding up a handful of electrodes. "Take off your shirt and we'll get started," Mocci ordered. Throwing him a suspicious look Rin did as he was told, carefully lifting his shirt up over his head and throwing it inside-out to the ground. The other stepped back, observing his chest. For a 15 year old teenager his patient was very lean, well chiseled muscles clear all around his torso. Covered in scars too, the kid looked like a war hero who'd suffered through some truly terrible experiences. When he had first seen the boy's chest it was pale and covered in sweat, commiseration welling up within him as he fought to keep him alive. Each muscle tensing and bulging as he strained against the fever and the pain.

He was an incredible kid.

Many said that being a human made you weaker, but to Mocci, that made you stronger. He truly admired half-demons- creatures that shared the blood of both races. They are incredible individuals who suffer through life with raised heads, the strength of demon's physiology and human's psychology resting on their shoulders. This could be no more apparent in anyone but Rin. The scientist looked forward to really seeing what he could do.

Clearing his throat he eyed the bandages on Rin's chest. They wrapped around his upper torso and left his lower bare but they'd still get in the way of points V1, V2, and V3.

Pulling out a piece of gauze from his lab coat and a spray bottle he stepped forwards, "We're only on day one so try not to strain yourself too much. I can only bring you back from death once, the second you feel like you can't take it you stop alright?" he said sternly. Standing in front of the younger man he sprayed his chest with the cleaner and rubbed it in a little with the gauze.

"Sure," his patient nodded. Rin hadn't done a lot of moving around today after all, his training done in his head rather than physically. Although, according to Mephisto that would change by Wednesday.

Picking up an electrode and peeling away the stick protection pad he bent in towards the shorter individual, "it's cold," he warned and pressed the first pad to the boy's skin. He felt his chest rise a tad but received no other notable indications of discomfort. "I don't suppose Mephisto told you what we would be doing here?"

"Tche," Rin scoffed, "of course he hasn't."

Mocci sighed and shook his head, taking another pad and pressing it into the next point. "We're going to work on the purity of the flames in this room. That's what these-" he lifted an electrode and waved it before his patient's eyes, "-are for. You're not a thinker so I don't suppose you'll get it at first but basically your flames are barely past square 1. Sort of like the beginning structural formation of a vortifugal equation linking the Paralnumoronic Parophaseule Segments toge-" at the look of horrid confusion on Rin's face he paused and cleared his throat. "You have a cake mix," he made a mixing gesture with his hands, "and you have all the ingredients in a bowl but you haven't stirred them right." That was more a clarification that his patient understood, and he formed a silent 'o' shape with his mouth. "So the flames you are working with 'taste' fine but they could be much better. They aren't '_pure_' yet. You'll know what I'm talking about by pure later." He continued setting the electrodes along his chest, lifting the bandages a little and sliding the next three up into their positions. "How does your wound feel?"

The other shrugged, wincing a little but playing it off like an expert, "just stings a bit."

Mocci knew better than to trust him and grabbed the spray bottle, walking around to Rin's back. "We'll take a good look at it tomorrow morning before you go to bed," he muttered.

His patient threw a glower his way but didn't voice any protests as he cleaned his back and applied several more electrodes. A large scar stretching about 4 inches over the teen's side caught his attention and he winced. Hadn't had seen that one yet. It looked somewhat cleaner than the others but was darkly toned- easier to spot. Mocci shook his head and moved on; he'd already learned the kid was a walking canvas of scars for both the body and the mind. At least the majority of them were healing. If they didn't he really _would _be a walking canvas of scars…

The process continued until his patient's chest, back and arms had at least two or more of these things sticking to the skin. He was in the middle of a yawn when Mocci stood back to observe his work, looking the electrodes over to make sure they were all in the proper places.

"Alright," he clapped his hands together, "when I get back into that room and give you the signal I want you to draw your sword and see how far you can take those flames. Okay?" Rin nodded and crouched down, picking the blade up off the floor. With a head bob of his own Mocci turned.

"Oi," his patient's voice stopped him. This question was just driving him crazy; he wanted to get it off his mind before using his flames.

"What? We really need to get started here."

"Have you ever heard of a guy called Igor?" The green-eyed man stopped. The exwire seemed suddenly tense, watching him like the doctor may just pounce on him and start sticking him with needles.

"Ah, Igor Williams? Yeah, I had the misfortune of working with that loony once or twice. A disgusting fellow he was; kept on pulling up strange procedures and trying to perform these truly terrible tests. He was cut off from the BDRI, though, after a failed attempt at recreating life. I heard that he went out and attempted t-" realization dawned on Mocci then. Moving towards his patient he skirted around to Rin's back. Taking another look at the scar on his side he flinched; so that's where this nasty piece of work had come from. "I knew him, but I strongly disapproved of his methods- of his entire person, actually. Don't worry, not all BDRI scientists are like that." He slapped his patient on the shoulder and grinned widely, "and I'm pretty sure none of them are like that guy." No wonder the kid kept such a close eye on his every action. "So, any more questions or can we get started?"

"I'm waiting on _you _at this point, man," Rin pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"Tche, cheeky little shit," Mocci laughed and jogged away before his patient could attempt to slap him back. A few minutes later and he was giving the kid the thumbs up from inside the observatory. "Remember to start slowly," he added through a mic and Rin nodded. "Ready? Go."

With that said Rin unsheathed the weapon. His ears elongated, teeth sharpened, eyes taking on a new shade of blue. The world around him changed from white, reinforced stone, and a blue shirt to blood red _everything_, his flames the only color in his new world. Little white-red hearts flickering before his changed vision to indicate the temperature-among various additions to his enhanced sight- of the things around him. From Mocci's perspective blue flame shot out from his body like the steamy evaporation from a block of nitrogen ice. It poured out of his skin and consumed the area around him so quickly, so fluidly, so _incredibly flabbergasting _that he forgot to look at the monitors.

As the blue light completely encompassed the dome, flowing over the marble flooring and reaching up towards the skylight but not quite reaching he found all he could do was watch the boy standing in the center of it all. A boy, who stood in the middle of hellfire as calmly as a man going for a walk in the morning.

The flames were opaque, he noticed, and writhed around their owner. Crawling up his body, leaping from his hair, and pushing upwards like miniature rockets only to fall back down to earth. They performed a waltz around their master, rolling over and under each other like waves in the ocean. Curling around his ankles and reaching out towards the edges of the dome, so far they almost touched it's circumference. All 390 feet cleared by this fire and he was still in control.

The blue glow was a truly awesome sight, even if in the back of his mind he knew that they could be so much better. It left a scientist who'd seen the earth crack in two, who'd watched fire and hell spew forth from the mouth of Gehenna, stand in the room like a child watching a lollipop's creation.

He knew now, why people feared and respected these flames.

He knew now, why Rin was treated by the Vactican with terror and stepped around like a time bomb waiting for just the right moment to explode.

But now he also knew why Rin was at such a terrible disadvantage compared to the rest of his demonic brethren. As beautiful as the flames were they could still be much, _much _more powerful. He wanted to _make _them more powerful.

Well, at least they looked pretty.

Rin's head was bowed, eyes closed in concentration. Mocci soon began to notice the strain, though, sweat escaping his forehead and trickling down his face, his teeth clenched and shoulders shaking. Glancing down at the charts he watched the teen's heart rate escalate, his blood pressure rising a little.

At this the scientist frowned. Ah, damn. Taking a seat he brought up the other charts, reading the low pyropheus paraphenominal lines (PPL), the peaky famonic pressure levels, and, above all, the purity. It was a messy mixture with too many unneeded components in it, too many 'oxidizers' being used. Grabbing his chin he examined the lines, thoroughly observing each change made.

After a few minutes he pressed the mic button, "take it easy in there. If you keep it up like this you're going to end up hurting yourself." He watched the lines but they didn't lower. Furrowing his brows he looked up through the observation windows. "Shit," Rin was on his knees, panting. Jabbing a finger into the button, flipping a switch and rotating a small dais around several times he turned up the volume, "Rin! Let it go!" he ordered. The electrodes cords billowed back on a fierce, fiery wind, tangling around each other but thankfully not melting. The BDRI was probably the only place on earth with electrodes so resilient to fire- though, these ones were specifically designed for Rin. They wouldn't burn no matter what. "Rin!"

"Gah!" his patient gasped and with a swift feeling of horror his head whipped towards the heart monitor. Too fast. It was going too fast.

"_Stercum,_" he cursed.*** Hands flying over the console he flipped switches, typed in a few frantic codes, pulled a lever out, twisted it, and then slammed it back down again. "Get down!" Along the walls several pipes pushed out and into the room, holy water pouring from their depths and spraying over the flames. Ripping off his lab coat he rushed out into the room, sprinting towards his downed patient as the water cut him a path. Steam was already rising off Rin's quickly healing skin by the time he got there and threw the coat over his unprotected frame, ignoring the flames heat as he did so. Fire burned around him, licking at his skin but not burning. Good to know that even in this situation the guy had enough control to keep from killing everything around him.

"Pull back your flames, it should be easy now," he told him. As quickly as they had exploded from his frame they were gone, the puddle of fire he lay in vanishing with not even a puff of smoke. It took barely a minute before the holy water also flowed to a stop, small trickles falling from the tubes and splattering against the scorched marble. A sigh of relief whispered past his lips before he could think better of it and he stood up. The second he realized his mistake there was an enormous crash beneath him, the rumble bringing him to his knees as a crater formed under Rin's fist. Mocci didn't say anything, simply watched the boy heave on the ground.

He was angry.

Little bits of flame were curling off his frame, leaping out but dissipating before they could get any farther than a few inches.

But he was also determined.

A new strength in his eyes, a will not to be beaten _again_. Not by _his _flames. He'd master this, make them pure and rein them in under his control. God help anyone who would try and stop him this time. He stood slowly, body tense, and tore the lab coat away.

"I'm going to try again."

Mochidna took his jacket and looked him over, the unwavering strength in his eyes almost frightening. The teen's orbs were glowing, little red specks apparent in the center of his irises. An impressed grin, almost impish should it be described, slid onto the red-headed genius's face.

"Then let's do it."

This was going to be a long week.

He looked forward to it.

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><p><strong>* Think: football field<strong>

****Tholos: those round, dome-like style Greek temples**

*****Stercum: 'shit' in latin according to FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFuck. ._.**

**Title means: Shut up and Train**

**I enjoyed writing this one. :3**

…**.doesn't mean it's **_**good**_** but oh well.**

* * *

><p><strong>Notice: <strong>_Alrighty, so I've spent a few minutes going through November's reviews but there's a lot so I probably haven't gotten to you yet. Iiiiit's still 7AM and I have a lot of work to do today but I wanted to give an update for a few things._

_1) I'm going to go back and cut out the review responses in previous chapters, but only in the one's where they're most obnoxious. I'll think about taking out the little ones too but I'm not sure when._

_2) The next update may or may not come with a Christmas special either_ on _Christmas eve or a few days prior. I'd like to give an actual day so let's say either _December 21st _or _December 24th. _Hopefully I can write out the Christmas-y special, otherwise I'll just have to provide the original special which is Christmas-y in no way shape or form._

_Cheers! (Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, if you celebrate that. ;) )_


	53. The Christmas Special

Notice:

It appears that the Christmas special isn't really working out for some people, and by that I mean 8 out of 10 people seem to dislike it. Not a bad thing since I was really just winging it from the start, but because so few people told me what was up with it I've decided to take it down and store it for another time. I'll repost it someday, when I can get around to fixing it, I just don't have the time and energy to put into it right now. I want to try and keep big bummer chapters out of this story so I put my all into every chapter that I can.**(Hence why I don't write when I know I can't do that.)** This chapter I didn't really do that and I'm sure plenty of people noticed it, so I'm sorry for that. But, you know, we all have bad days, so meh.

The next chapter is an extra I've had saved up, hopefully that one is better. **LET ME KNOW IF IT ISN'T!**

The continuation of the story arc should come around the end of January, but I need to try and fix that chapter because it's even worse than the bloody Christmas special. .x. Sorry for the recent disappointment.

Thanks to everyone who's kept reading through all these chapters!


	54. Extra Special

_*chirpchirpchirp* You guys seriously don't know how to complain, I think, you just kind of silently judge me. *coughs* well, if you read the updated version of 53 you'd know that the story was awful and I needed to do something to fix it. I had a few people who enjoyed it and I'm happy they did, but I'm personally dissatisfied with it too and I'd like to dissect it and see what went wrong at a later notice. I'm already mortified with what I've found so far. ./. I'll upload it again sometime, just not until after I've fixed it. Once again, I'm sorry for the disappointment. (I kind of figured that all the weirder stuff and OCness could have been judged as stress from Rin seeing that the whole antler thing was all just a dream, but it seems that's not the case and I can see why.)_

_Anyway, this is an alternate version of the first night in the cabin at Sennyo Mountain. In this one the exwires arrive without a baby hatchling but still get observe no less demonic activity. (Okay, so, maybe a little more demonic activity but, meeh.) This is more from Rin's point of view as well._

_Enjoy! _

**Disclaimer: Don't own it!**

The Cabin:

It must've been around 1 AM when the other exwires arrived due to a bus delay. Thankfully Yukio had brought along special wards to help them through the harsh mountain trails and protect them from the various demons along the way. Rin had barely half-woken the second he heard the door open and waited with the tip of his tail completely still as they filed in. The main room was dark with Shura on one end and Rin on the other. She had placed herself beside the fireplace while Rin had plopped down beside the hostel's large window. It wasn't terribly big with one bathroom, one kitchen, and a sleeping area- so it was more like a cabin maybe than a hostel- but it had so far fit the needs of the two for the past week.

When the others had arrived it had been made apparent to Rin that there may be a few problems for a while. For example; the bathroom. There were now 8 people here and only one bathroom.

Oh boy.

The single light in the kitchen dimly illuminated the room as the exwires shuffled around as quietly as they could, which, to be honest, wasn't really all that quiet to the half-demon. He listened to them unroll their sleeping bags and set out some blankets to keep themselves warm for the night, feeling himself rapidly falling back asleep despite the noise. Yukio prodded the fire back to life and set a few logs into its stomach, hoping to warm the hostel a little as he and his students settled in for the night. Shura grumbled a bit in her sleep but didn't otherwise acknowledge him. It was pretty obvious that the two of them were absolutely drained from their day of training and it worried the teen somewhat. Shura may be lazy but she was also tortuous. If anyone in this hostel should be as dead as a rock, though, it would be Rin, who hadn't twitched even once when they entered the room.

The firelight reflected off his glasses as he looked across the hostel at his brother's sleeping form. Across from Rin Takara had set up his sleeping bag and was already waiting in the kitchen for the microwavable dinner packs to be handed out. Izumo was across from Shiemi. Konekomaru and Shima had set up beside each other with Bon across from the pink haired monk. They all basically had things set up so an open row of space was created in the middle of the room for people to walk through.

While the others finished organizing their things Yukio made his way towards his own bags. He unrolled his hiker's sleeping bag and set his pillow down, taking a green blanket and laying it over the top. The exorcist kept the rest of his luggage up against the wall and in easy reach. From a second bag he removed the microwavable dinners and took them to the kitchen, setting them on the table and waiting for the other exwires.

"Is this where the bathroom is?" Shiemi whispered to Kamiki, who had wandered down the hall that drew out of the main room and along the kitchen's breakfast bar.

She snorted irately, "what a dump, there's only one bathroom."

"You'll live," Bon reminded as he walked into the kitchen. Izumo glared angrily at him but didn't respond.

"Kamiki-san, I'll wait. You can go first," Shiemi offered but the purple haired teen simply scoffed and turned away.

"I didn't need to use it, I just wanted to make sure there was one," she explained.

"Oh, thank you," Shiemi beamed needlessly and Izumo blushed a little at her innocent politeness. She was too nice!

Rin's ear twitched when the third dinner went into the microwave and it binged loudly in response to each button pressed. The only thing keeping him awake- a _very _loosely used word in this sense- was the instinct that Shura had pounded into him over the week, luring in 'house guests' that would try and maul him during the night. Still, didn't these guys know what _quiet _meant? Sighing, he pushed his head a little farther into his pillow, bringing his blanket up over his nose and letting his tail swish across the wooden floor, thankful that Bon was smart enough to keep his bags a distance away from it.

The smell of packaged meals filled the room and despite himself his stomach growled. He'd been way too tired to make himself dinner so he'd just chewed on an apple and gone to bed. Several minutes passed before all the exwires were in the kitchen and eating their dinners.

Rin was rather glad that Yukio could not see him because the breakfast bar was in the way, knowing that his brother would be watching him sleep otherwise. He must have known about Shura's training because one of the first things Yukio had done when he stepped into the room was to glance his brother over. Even without seeing his face Rin knew his sibling was displeased by the bandage on his elder's hip. It was a small wound that would be totally healed by morning but the blood had needed to be captured by _something_ so he'd found a thick wad of gauze. With his shirt riding up his stomach it was easy to see, as were all the fading bruises.

However, since the table wasn't big enough for all 6 of them the three arias had chosen to sit and eat at the bar. At the sound of Rin sighing Shima turned in his seat, the chair squeaking a protest.

"Geeze," he whispered, "I know it's 1 AM and all but he looks totally drained over there. I wonder what these guys have been up to over here."

Konekomaru turned as well, mouth full of rice, and observed Rin's flicking tail. It was a little hard to see since Rin was facing them and the blue-black thing was shrouded in the shadowed corner of the hostel, but he could make out movement behind him that would only be caused by an extra appendage.

"Is that really a question you want answered?" Bon grumbled.

"I wonder what he's upset about," Konekomaru began, eyes locked onto the flipping tail.

"He's probably pissed that you're making so much noise," answered Izumo from the table. A vein on Bon's forehead throbbed with barely contained irritation; it was too early for this.

His voice was strained and accusing when he retorted, "What's your problem?"

A tired sigh swept passed Shima's lips and he put his head in his hands, "come on, it's 1 AM, stop arguing."

Suguro scoffed and turned his attention back to his meal. As the conversation continued to another subject he began to feel uneasy, as though something was watching him. He wasn't the only one either, soon the others were shifting uncomfortably as well and the air became somewhat strained.

At the back of the hostel Rin was a few sparse seconds away from sleep, his mind in that state where it wanted to sleep but couldn't because something was stubbornly keeping it awake. Each voice that he heard was amplified around him and all he could think about was how much he wanted to sleep but couldn't. When his ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps he didn't really think much of it, supposing that it must've been Yukio. The drowsy half-demon squirmed a bit when his shirt was lifted up a little more, further exposing the multitude of healing wounds on his torso. Muscles tightening, the blue-black haired creature sighed, totally unaware.

Until something very dry touched his skin and a foul smell entered his nose.

"Shit!" Bon shouted and the sound of a falling stool echoed throughout the room, the exwires and their teacher forced to watch a mummified demon hover with its mouth agape over Rin's exposed side. Helpless, Yukio opened his mouth, ready to shout his brother's name when a blue-black stalk erupted upwards. In a flash it tore straight through the creature's head, like a knife through a hardboiled egg.

Kind of.

With the addition of dust and goo exploding outwards on impact.

His tail twisted as the cranium fell from its pedestal, the stalk whistling back around and slicing the demon's stomach in two. Half of the creature collapsed backwards, legs detached from its torso and leaving it lying vulnerable on the ground. Rin shifted in his sleep and let his tail violently clobber the beast; the squelch of flesh being beaten repeatedly and the crunch of dry skin and brittle bone snapping filled the room. When the creature was sufficiently dead the hostel was struck by a wave of near silence, listening to the sound of sticky goo falling from Rin's raised, and slightly curled, tail. Its posture almost seemed satisfied. The wall behind the eldest Okumura was splattered with some kind of dark brown sludge and a scent sharing likeness to a swamp soaks the air.

The exwires and their teacher are temporarily shocked into agape stillness.

Neither Shura nor Rin move but the former's voice can be heard across the hostel, "Rin."

"Mmm?" he moans, too tired to open his eyes or even form words as the others simply stare in horror.

"You've made a mess."

"Mm."

"Clean it up."

"I locked up tonight, it's not my fault," he muttered tiredly, "the rule is it's your fault." There was probably an intention for something to be put in the middle of that sentence, like maybe that the rule was whoever was last to go to bed had to deal with whatever demon-related trouble arose between dusk and dawn. However, Rin was so tired that this segment of the sentence was completely cut out and left with this accusing, if not also amusing, replacement.

"Oi, that is _not _the rule," Shura turned towards him, propped up on an elbow and glaring at her tired student. An instinctual part of Rin knew she was glaring and in response his tail shot out flame. All the goo that had wrapped around the sensitive appendage burned away, leaving it as beautiful and groomed as it had been before the assault. With that done it curled around his front snuggly and he stilled. "There, clean."

Yukio has to wonder if Rin was even awake at this point. Shura looked up at the younger brother somewhat irately, as though it had been his fault this happened.

Wait.

Inwardly flustered and thoroughly embarrassed the teacher kept his face straight and walked over to the door where he applied a new seal to replace the one that was ripped when his group first entered.

Laying back down Shura allowed herself a chuckle, "its Spotty-Four-Eyes' fault. He gets to clean it up." Rin was already fast asleep, the danger he'd first sensed gone. And soon enough his teacher had followed his example, leaving the exwires and the youngest Okumura on their own.

"Does that answer your question, Shima?" Bon asked, deadpan, looking with an expression of disgust at the demon's remains.

"I'll never ask that question again."

* * *

><p><em>Oh man, I'm tired.<em>


	55. Update: Yo, I be UPDATED again!

_UPDATE:_

_*Is busy having a stress-induced heart attack* Holy-hell, I don't have time for even this much right now! Sorry guys, a thousand times sorry, but I won't be able to make the deadline for this next chapter and it isn't going to be nearly as long as I'd originally wanted because I cannot find the time to bloody correct the one I originally wrote! (I have no idea when I'll be able to get it up.)_

_January through May/March are usually the busiest (like, freakishly busy. I'm not trying to blow you guys off or be lazy, I am attending two separate schools right now and that's not even half of it) months of the year for me so, as upsetting as it is, I'll likely be unable to find the time to upload again for awhile. Obviously I don't write well when I'm stressed or busy and I only want to give you guys the best I've got. I won't be able to upload here for awhile, I think. Just a few months._

_Yes, I will come back. No, I'm not abandoning the story. _

_For those of you who are interested and want to get extra information or updates on chapters, you can visit my account on tumblr. There, I may post the bummer chapter that I am refusing to post here. Occasionally, I'll post tiny story snippets there too, really small things no longer than 100 or 30 words each. I'll also be taking requests/suggestions there as well. _

_As I've stated I am VERY low on time so I won't be there 24/7. I'm using it only a small amount and still need to work on the design of my page, but people may also use this account to catch up with me, complain at me for taking so long, or ask me more specific questions. It's a more personal account, though, so I don't have only Ao No Exorcist stuff on there. _

_If you're interested here is the link:_ [**oh, well, fuck you too, fanfiction**]

_I'll put a link on my homepage as well for those who don't like dealing with the spaces. _

_Thanks for putting up with me, everyone, I hate to be a disappointment but this is how it goes._

* * *

><p><em>UPDATE 2:<em>

_[Do any of you get so tired that you feel like crying?]_

_I have a fun story about one of the upcoming chapters that I'll post here eventually. _

_Maybe. [Synopsis: I got in trouble with the campus security for digging on site. ...it's Yukio's fault, I swear.] _

_*I'd like it if people who are following me on tumblr could send me a prompt or two in my ask box so I can write a 30 word short-story about it- that would be a **really nice **way to warm myself up. I'm a bit stuck, to be honest. ^ ^; Just one word is all I need, you don't have to do anything else if you don't want to, I'm just saying it would be helpful. [My tumblr username is that same as my fanfiction username; Fairytale Warrior. The blog's name is_ The Book Thief._] *yawns hugely* oh but of course no one is going to do that because we're all lazy bums, aren't weeee?_

_**There's also a big chance that after I finish up with this arc, I'm going to have to close this story down. I need to make more money so I won't be home at all next summer and since I'm not getting any donations at all I can't really dedicate a lot of time on this anymore. *shrugs* We'll all just have to wait and see, I guess. _

_Well, just thought I'd pop in to let you all know that I'm **finally **working on the next chapter! _

_See you soon! [Maybe, sorta, kinda, -ish?]_

_Cheers!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>30-Word-Prompts<em>**

_Alymorlyx- Prompt: _The Grudge

A low gurgle bubbled out her throat, hand clutching his pant leg.

"Um," Rin began uncertainly.

"Nii-san!" Yukio's voice blurted over the phone, "do something!"

"I almost feel sorry for it, though…"

_"Nii-san."_

XXXX

_blackbloodedgirl- Prompt: _Memories

The glee-filled sound of children laughing.

_The bubbles floating past his ears._

The taste of salt and pepper.

_The water in his lungs._

The ball rolling in the chapel.

_"NII-SAN!" _

_Prompt 2: _Breakdown

He was gone.

He was gone.

Yukio's eyes were wide and glassy.

How could that be possible?

How?!

Brown hair stuck out in every direction.

Nose red, tears dripping-

Gone.

XXXX

_Kudaikage- Prompt: Playground [a little over 30 words.]_

Creak.

They didn't know he knew.

He wondered what would happen when they did.

Groan.

Likely, he'd be thrown out.

"Nii-san?"

Rin blew coal tar out of his face and stood from the swing, "coming!"

_I can see them too._

_Prompt 2: Snow_

Peals of laughter billowed into the night air.

"Rawr!"

"Aaah, Nii-san's the monster!"

6-year-old innocence falling into drifts.

Snow crunching beneath them as they raced.

A _fwoosh_.

"Rin, that's cheating!"


	56. Compromised Thinking

_Bon is refreshing. _

**Disclaimer: Not my thing.**

* * *

><p>Compromised Thinking:<p>

It was quiet in the shared room- well, of course it was. Turning his head Bon spied the electric clock on Shima's bedside table.

'5 o' clock am' it read. He grimaced, annoyed that a simple number was enough to remind him of a certain someone and returned to his computer. Strewn around him were open books, pieces of loose leaf notebook paper, journals, printed-out articles, and various writing utensils. He was well adapted to working in the dark and so functioned just fine with the pale illumination his laptop provided.

If only his research could be just as fluid.

Why was this so hard? It was unrealistically so. It was at a point that Bon hardly recognized what he was looking for anymore. He heaved a deep, weary sigh and turned his head around to take in the room.

Snuggled into his blankets, Shima's mouth was open. Drool trickled over his tongue and oozed into the pillow, limbs sloppily splayed out in every direction. His soft snores were a familiar sound to the eldest aria. In contrast to his pink-haired companion, Konekomaru lay on his back quiet as a mouse, face lax and hands on his stomach.

They had both earned their rest these past few days, thrashing and struggling through wave after wave of documentation, research, and painful data. It was especially hard for Shima, who had made it quite known to his friends long ago how much he hated paperwork.

Bon had to wonder if his friend was really prepared to be an aria at all…

Dispersing this thought with a brisk shake-of-the-head the punk turned his attention back to his notes. A t-chart stared back at him, one side reading "historical places" and the other "modern places". He'd hoped that by going through older books, finding all mentions he could of the demon sub-king in the bible and writing down where they had taken place, then figuring out how said place had changed and where it was in modern times he could pinpoint where Oriens might show up. By this point he'd come up with a few possibilities but none of them were anywhere near Sennyo Mountain. Scratching his head and shoving the end of a mechanical pencil between his teeth, the teen narrowed his eyes in thought. After a moment of struggle he set the pencil down and took up a red pen instead. Bon began circling the nearest locations he had recorded, all the while wondering if Oriens could even really be as close as the reports warned.

The sub-king wanted something. That much was clear.

He'd seen in Yukio's notes- the ones Shura had managed to swipe- a mention explaining Oriens' reason for killing the eldest Okumura. Apparently, the sub-king had felt that his half-brother was competition for the throne, a threat to his position of power. But if Oriens felt that way it meant he was ready to try and overthrow his father and king which was _not_ good news for _anyone_. The sub kings were loyal and, most importantly, not stupid. They knew their father was powerful and could not be taken down easily. To defeat him they'd need help from something big.

Actually, from a lot of big things.

Impressive, properly considered, _loyal_ things.

And with a plethora of back-up plans to ice the cake.

Point is it would take someone stronger as well as smarter than the king of all evil itself to pull this off and the very idea that there could be something like that in Assiah…

Bon wiped a stray drop of sweat off his face and set his pen against the page with a sharp snap. In response, Konekomaru's breath changed and he stirred. Biting his lower lip the elder monk watched his friend turn over and settle once more. The big-eared-teen had always been a light sleeper, disturbed by the slightest of noises when the three were younger. It was somehow reassuring to know that while the world changed there were some things that stayed steady.

For several bone-weary moments, nothing but silence filled the room.

Finally, another ragged sigh escaped Bon and he pushed himself up; fragments of paper, books, pens, etc., raining off his lap as he did so. Shutting down the waiting laptop he pulled on his shoes, strode to the unlatched door, and slipped into the brightly lit corridor beyond. A wince momentarily contorted his features as the bright fluorescents blinded him. Behind Bon, the door slid back into place with a click that assured him it was closed. If he left it open the light would fall over Shima's face, a splinter of yellow that would collapse through the crack and surely wake him up. (And thus a typical multitude of complaints would follow suite.)

Leaning back against the wall Bon turned his gaze upwards, compelled to stare at the ceiling like he could find all the answers he wanted there. He felt trapped in his own head, unable to escape the thought after thought that spun him around in frustrating circles.

Just the tiniest bit amused he thought how it reminded him of-

_Coffee,_ he thought quickly, _I need coffee. _Pushing himself away from the wall he began the weary walk to the cafeteria.

It was still early and Oriens hadn't made a move to do anything yet.

They still had time.

Rin hadn't died for such a stupid reason. Bon would make sure of that.

* * *

><p><em>Yup. It's short. If I made it any longer it would sound weird and proceed to throw itself off a cliff. So.<em>

_No. _

_Hope it works! :) _

_Keep sending me prompts, its glorious exercise! You can also send them here, if you want. I'll put them up on a page somewhere on this fic…_

_Look for them on __**chapter 55**_.

Next full chappy comes out on **August 31st. **But the 30-word-prompts will continue throughout the month. :)

**Reviews:**

**BrokenSofia: **Thank you, I'm glad that you liked it! I'll be using a little more POV from Bon these next few chapters so it's not the last you'll see of it. ;) And nice prompt! I'll write it out the next opportunity I get and send you a PM when I get it up! Thanks!

**Beelechan: **Sorry hun, I'm working between 6-9 hours a day 7 days a week for the next two months. My schedule doesn't have room for me to be especially exuberant in my updates anymore. :( There is a small chance I'll be able to update sooner, though. We'll have to see. ;) Thanks!

**Paracuties: **He is, isn't he? Thank you, I will! :)

**Kudai Kage: **Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you like it! You are totally welcome! Thank you for saying thank you! :)

**fox: **He is! I will be putting more focus and explanations on that in the following chapters. [Amaimon and Rin form a very destructive and very deadly combination. ;)]


	57. Beaten Down

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

Beaten Down:

_BOOM_

"Irrumator-" Rin grunted and ducked beneath Amaimon's arm as it attempted to punch his head clean off his shoulders.* The shock he'd received upon realizing he'd be training with the sub-king hadn't been nearly as heart stopping as when Mephisto summoned the bastard about a _foot _away from his _face _on the first day_. _He didn't question their relation- there wasn't really time to and he didn't currently care. If Mephisto trusted the demon Rin had no choice but to get used to it. So he simply carried on with his focus targeted towards staying alive. He'd been summoned before and that time Rin had been blown away, literally, before he could think about what had happened. Now wasn't much different.

The King of Earth was giggling like a little school boy, delivering blow after blow and coming way too close way too often.

It was _frustrating_ to try and not only achieve a level of proper purity in his flame but also to break teeth and flesh fighting this crazed creature.

And he wasn't even sure he knew what 'flame-purity' _meant_ yet! He was surviving with his usual flames but every time he tried to find what he supposed was a purer form not only did he fail so perfectly miserably but he also almost lost a damn _limb. _

He'd thought that he was done with this kind of thing, that he'd mastered his flames already.

Well, okay, _fine, _maybe not _totally _mastered- but still! It felt like he'd fallen past square one and had returned to the negative squares.

Twisting to the side he ducked his shoulder down to avoid Amaimon's sharpened claws and lifted his opposite hand, attempting to slice through the earth king. At least he was sort of getting better. He could at put up a fight.

Kind of?

Rin wasn't paying attention to the time, couldn't worry about such an insignificant thing as he battled the brat. He felt as though if he wasn't dividing his attention then he could really fight him off but Mephisto refused any of his protests.

"Gah!" he cried as the green-haired demon threw him back, sending him crashing into the opposite wall. His voice echoed around them, large blocks of concrete catapulting outwards from the impact. This building was underground and very expansive, even bigger than the tholos. If he stopped to think about it he might wonder if the shockwaves after each wall-impact created mini-quakes above them.

Maybe that's why the nearest town was about 45 miles away.

Lifting his legs he kicked Amaimon off. Without waiting to slide down the wall he focused on his flames, taking out his fear of them, removing any uncertainty he had over his control. He allowed himself to feel pride, calming himself down and focusing on that tiny, splinter of lucidness left in the concept of 'purity'.

Just as he began to feel like he was sparking something Amaimon came rushing back, fist aimed for his gut and claws grabbing onto the blade to keep it still. Using every bit of his flexibility Rin managed to dodge the blow, kneeing him in the side and pushing the raving creature back.

Rolling to the left he jumped up, pushing himself forwards with his right hand as he lunged towards his foe. A part of his attention managed to remain on the flames, struggling to regain that connection.

His mind was split between two battles; one an impossible, physical struggle and the other a confusing tumble of tangled thought. Without wasting a second the older demon quickly and aggressively morphed into his true form; an animalistic cry erupting from his lips as a large green tail waved around behind him and similar colored horns grew from his head.

Within seconds the King of Earth once again had the upper hand and Rin was fighting for his life. Almost before he realized what was going on, Amaimon brutally threw his younger against the ground. Stunned, almost numb, Rin instinctively gasped, bouncing over the concrete several times while the other jumped ahead and slammed a foot into the younger's face. Just as soon as he'd landed, Rin was up in the air again, flying through the empty space with his eyes wide, a stream of blood running down the side of his face, and deep bruises marring his flesh. As though he knew no restraint, the violent earth king then began throwing large pillars of rock at the eldest Okumura.

Covering his face with his arms Rin allowed his tail to come out and keep him balanced. He stepped onto one of the rocks and jumped off towards the ground. Before his feet could touch, however, Amaimon had appeared and it took every bit of flame-fueled speed Rin had to bring his sword up to block.

For the next few moments he found himself weaving through rubble and rock, zipping this way and that, cutting the pieces he couldn't avoid into bits. But Amaimon was getting faster and Rin no longer had even half a second to focus on dumb 'flame-purity' nonsense. He flinched back, narrowly avoiding Amaimon's claws as they tried to rip into his throat. A quick burst of flame smartly propelled the earth king's prey to a safe distance and a lull was introduced to the party.

Panting, Rin held his sword tightly, staring Amaimon down with all the fury and aggression he can fit into his eyes. Four thin cuts appear on his neck but no-one pays them any heed, leaving them to heal over in the next few heartbeats.

If asked, neither would have been able to tell how long they'd been working for. Rin; because he didn't have enough focus to spare and Amaimon; because he'd never particularly cared about time. The older demon had stopped laughing a while ago, a disinterested frown on his face and a bored look in his eye. His elder brother's warnings were the only things keeping him from tearing his younger half-brother apart in this realm.

Yet, his boredom was growing to be intolerable…

Trying not to appear too beaten, Rin readied himself as the aggressive demon lunged towards him yet again.

"_He's hasn't made any progress at all,"_ Mocci's voice was strained with equal parts concern and impatience, squeezing out through the DS Mephisto had brought along. He'd been anxiously watching the action through the pink device's built in camera for the last 3 hours. Contrasting, the purple haired demon didn't even bother to look up and monitor the battle, too keen on playing his newest game. _"You know what he's doing wrong, don't you?" _

"Why would I know such a complicated thing?" came the responding sneer, trademark Cheshire grin splitting the demon's face as he battled this level's boss.

Knowing he wouldn't get anything out of him Mochidna turned silent, clearly frustrated. He could see the problems with Rin's flames but not how to fix them. He had so little usable data to work with, so much gratuitous and obvious. The simple truth was that no-one knew anything about Satan's flames for sure. What they did know they'd learned through patterns and gleaned from standard procedure.

Rin stepped back to balance himself and used his free arm to grab Amaimon's throat. Before he could even attempt to run him through, however, his opponent yanked himself free, a small smile daring to touch his cheeks.

"Stay still you little fucker," the Rin cursed, running after him. He was a little too slow to dodge the clawed hand that caught the side of his head and slammed it into the wall beside him. Running along and continuously shoving Rin's head into the concrete, creating a line through the rock and spreading chips of the cement and dust through the air. In an attempt to escape the violent demon's attack Rin whipped the Kurikara along the back of Amaimon's nearest knee, unwittingly cutting apart important tendons and lighting the other demon on fire.

Amaimon screamed in surprise and stumbled forwards, performing a few summersaults until he could balance himself out with his thick tail. A fresh coating of blood poured down the side of Rin's face, unfolding like a velvet ribbon along his pale flesh. He could feel his skin burning angrily as it tried to heal but ignored the sensation in favor of his flames.

A roar- what of no-one knew- escaped the sub-king as his own flesh likewise quickly knitted itself back together. With a deafening explosion he hurled his body forwards, rock supporting his heels. Once again having tried focusing on his flames Rin was unable to dodge in time and was, as a result, thrown back. As he cartwheeled through open space Amaimon grabbed his ankle and _slams _him into the ground, creating yet another crater.

Even as the arena shook with the force of the tremendous blow, Mephisto continued with his game.

Blood and spittle shooting out of his mouth, eyes wide and the color drained from his face Rin found that he couldn't even gasp as Amaimon quickly and fluidly followed the attack by body slamming into his prey's stomach with his elbow facing outwards. Several ribs break in Rin's chest, three horrendous cracks echoing in his ears.

None of the training he ever did with Shura was as dangerous as this.

He could hear Amaimon above him, suddenly laughing and giggling like a school boy in a candy store. The lights above him are too bright and all he could see was his opponent's blurred shadow, swaying back and forth above him. The sub-king's eyes glinted, reflecting the white light as he pulled back, fist raised and knees holding his prey down.

Time drove towards slow motion as Rin looked up at Mephisto, hovering above them and clearly still intent on his game.

He'd be offering him no help at all.

Rin only had three days left, after all- two if things didn't go well. Either he died here or he died facing Ambaggon.

The world was still tilted around him as he used his enhanced vision to piece the demon in front of him together like he was made of puzzle pieces.

Where?

A fist was heading straight for his face, if it hit he could lose half of his skull to the blow.

Where?

Rin could feel the wind already blowing across his forehead.

_Where?_

There were several inches of space left between them and a heat brushed against Rin's cheek. In the back of his mind he thought he could hear Yukio's scream.

_I can't fucking die here! _

It happened too quickly for Rin to make it out. One second he was moments away from permanent death, the next Mephisto was floating above him with a cookoo clock behind him, a thrashing Amaimon held in its jaws.

Almost afraid to peel himself off the floor the youngest brother remained where he was with his ears slightly pulled back and his tail still. As he panted, gasped, and fought like he had with Amaimon for breath the eldest of the three looked down at him with an expression of amusement on his face.

"Hmm, that was awful quick, don't you think?" Mephisto asked with a gleam in his eye, twirling his favored umbrella around. Rin looked down, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth together in frustration. It didn't seem to upset his flamboyant half-brother, however, instead a devilish smirk pinched his cheeks. "Even after 14 hours with breaks you still can't beat Amaimon. If this continues there is no possibility of you succeeding by the end of the week." Frustration and pain echoed through his very essence but he was so exhausted that his flames could hardly spit.

Mochidna's voice pulled out of the sub-king's DS, a startling reminder to their additional audience, _"Okumura?" _

But Rin's discouraged silence continued.

"Best step up you're game, Okumura-kun," Mephisto's voice was devious, his eyes narrowed, "people could die if you mess this up." Rin tensed even more, so much that his body shook.

For several thick seconds no-one dared to say a word. Then Mephisto leaned back and clapped his hands together, "I think it's time for dinner, you're free for the next hour. I'm sure you can follow the routine from here." With this said a pair of old Victorian style keys appeared in a puff of pink smoke beside the younger demon, who struggled to pull himself off the ground. With his trademark smirk still firmly in place, Mephisto held out his umbrella with some last words, "well then, we will pick up where we left off tomorrow. Until then~ Eins, Zwei, Drei!"

And the puppet master disappeared in a puff of his smoke.

* * *

><p><em>*Irrumator: bastard, according to .GOD-FUCKING-DAMNIT<em>

_Had to cut this shorter than I would have liked, hopefully it makes sense. If it doesn't ask and I'll try to get around to answering your questions._

_Next update should be up by: _September 30th.

_Cheers! .o._


	58. Start of the Harvests

_Ahhhh, I know I'm late! Sorry, sorry, sorry guys, lost track of time! I had an interview yesterday, homework, school, appointments- when I got home I just konked out! Sorry!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ao No Exorcist_

-Start of the Harvests-

_[Eastern Branch, BDRI]_

After the day's beating- "training" as Mephisto liked to call it- Rin cleaned himself up a bit and gave his ribs time to heal before heading into the lunchroom on the southern end of the building. This was the closest one to his quarters- the rare times he found himself sleeping at this side of the BDRI and not at Lacie. Rin had decided that he'd try to eat something first and then take a shower, not at all caring how he looked around a bunch of scientists who were already prone to showing up in public looking even worse for wear then he did.

It was easy, after all, to tell who was in which department based on how they looked and if they smelled like sulfur or not.

He stopped by his assigned room to pick up Kasei and then headed towards the wing's lunchroom. Once he arrived Rin navigated through the clutter of tables until he could sit down at a table pressed against the back wall of the stadium sized room. Exhausted, he sat down and quickly caught himself with his head buried amongst folded arms, eyelashes fluttering in a fight against sleep. He felt Kasei's claws catch his shirt as the little one slithered off his increasingly small perch and landed on the table with a strange cooing sound bubbling up out of his throat.

Rin was almost asleep by the time Leela came over to him. She was known commonly as Dagon's kitchen helper, cooking side-by-side with him and bringing food to the incredibly huge breakfast bar where people could grab their orders and go. In a way, Leela was this kitchen's 'face' as Dagon pretty much never ventured out to see his patrons. She wasn't an extremely busty or to-die-for-beautiful lady but she made up for that in her kindness. Everyone loved her- they said the kitchen would be a wasteland without her there. Rin thought she may be in her late 30's and was probably a native of Bhutan, judging by the smell of spices. She had short, wavy black hair and eyes that held the purest of warmth.

The first time Rin met the woman was the day he first began his physical training. He'd come in, found a place where he could sit without having to worry about anyone getting too close and had pretty much passed out. He'd then woken several minutes later to find her standing beside him with a bowl of miso soup in hand and a motherly smile on her face.

She'd given Kasei a pat on the head, smiling when the little hisser trilled and leaned into the touch, then leant down and whispered in his ear; "your tail's sticking out a bit, hun." Blushing madly he had shoved the tip back into his shirt, barking an embarrassed, "what are you laughing at, dammit?" in return. Leela had simply laughed. She wasn't concerned with his demon half, didn't even seem to begin to wonder how much of him was human and how much was not. Rin had no idea if there were any half demons in the BDRI, but by her fluid dismissal he assumed there must have been a few.

That day she'd smiled and said something more filling would be brought back to him when it was ready, knowing he was too tired to care what it was.

Now it was becoming something of a routine for the two of them. Rin would arrive at some crazy hour with an ever-growing Kasei perched precariously across his shoulders, seat himself at the farthest table from everyone else, and nearly pass out. Leela would see him and throw back an order for miso soup, allowing the young half-demon a moment of peace before delivering the meal to him. She would talk with him for a little bit- well, try to- pet Kasei and then return to the kitchen to get his next order ready. She never asked what he wanted, either, she just seemed to _know._

"He's getting bigger, isn't he?" she commented, setting his niku jaga down on the table and taking the empty bowl of soup fifteen minutes later.

"Hm?" Rin swallowed and sleepily looked up at his baby dragon- the little one that had been the object of every scientist's eye when he'd first arrived. Their interest was so intense, in fact, that Mephisto and the head of the Eastern branch had needed to put out a ban. No-one but Rin, Mochidna, Mochidna's team, and Mephisto himself were allowed to handle the hatchling.

Come to think of it, Kasei had probably been growing these past few days. Rin was just too drained to notice it.

"Has he?" he asked doubtfully.

"Of course! He's a growing baby boy, after all," the Bhutanese woman smiled at him and he wasn't sure how to react for several awkward seconds. Finally deciding on embarrassed he looked down at his meal and steered the conversation away from Kasei.

"You guys added too much soy sauce," he critiqued sourly. Leela's smile didn't waver in the slightest; in fact her eyes took a warmer tint.

A chuckle escaped her, "sorry, my dear prince," she bows theatrically and for a moment Rin's heart stopped, "I'll let Dagon know the oh so _terrible _error of his ways." It took a heartbeat or so for him to realize she didn't actually know anything about his heritage and was just trying to tease him.

Blushing madly Rin slammed his hands on the table hard enough to rattle his plate and chopsticks, "knock it off!" But Leela just threw back her head and laughed, placing a hand on his head and ruffling his hair.

"Sorry, hun, I couldn't resist," as he floundered and ducked under her soft hands she continued, "I'll tell Dagon it's supposed to be only 1/4th a cup next time."

Rin huffed and presented a well-practiced glare, trying to smooth his hair back and failing rather miserably.

If he'd been more awake he might have noticed the way Leela's eyes changed, the way her shoulders stiffened a little, and her fingers twitched. But he was beyond exhausted and these details flew past him like a rocket ship.

"You take care of yourself, hun," she told him, "ya hear? Ya look fit to roll into a grave right now."

But Rin merely shrugged, her words meaning little to nothing to him in his exhausted state, "Yeah, yeah."

She frowned at him but said nothing more, merely reaching out to ruffle his hair again before turning on her heel and heading back to the counter.

A light tint remained on his cheeks as he resumed his slow eating process. Rin didn't know a lot of girls, women just weren't really a part of his life. Until he met Shiemi, Izumo, and- god forbid- Shura he hadn't really known how to act around them. And even then, none of them were like Leela who held something he couldn't quite place but reminded him strikingly of Shirō.

Stuffing a piece of meat into his mouth he wondered what his friends were up to. Were they all okay? Were they still diligently studying and pushing towards their goals? Mocci had told him they were fine but what if that had changed- they were still pretty close to Sennyo Mountain after all. Setting his chopsticks down and grimacing as a headache began to throb behind his eyes, Rin let himself analyze his jumbled emotions.

He missed them.

He missed joking around and eating with them. He missed going out on missions and tackling new material with them, even when he didn't really understand it. He missed cooking for Yukio in the morning at their dorms. He missed testing out new recipes with Ukobach and waking up with Kuro sleeping beside him. Hell, he even missed training with Shura too.

Rin's fist tightened with newfound determination; they'd all make it out of this. They'd stop Ambaggon and get back to their dreams, back to their happiness. He'd even fight to the death a second time if need be.

He just wanted to see his friends and family again.

He wanted them all to go the True Cross Festival together.

He wanted them all to _live._

A deep sigh escaped his lips and an odd trilling sound broke him from his thoughts. Kasei was on his hind legs in front of him. His black wings are held out a few inches, exposing his chest and belly, front paw-claws dangling in front of him kitten-style. The hatchling's long neck was stretched up as far as it could go, its scales sticking out, and his large yellow eyes are looking at Rin imploringly. The oddest thing about it, though, was his beak; open wide and seeming very expectant.

He looked like a ruffled up crow waiting for a bug to fly into its mouth.

When their eyes met Kasei shifted on his hind legs; back and forth, back and forth, rocking eagerly. His tail swished around and he looked at Rin then his dinner and back to Rin again.

Finally realizing what the little one wanted he immediately dismissed him, "Oh no, you don't eat meat." But Kasei insisted that he was wrong by clapping his beak open and closed, stretching his neck towards the bowl and nudging it litghtly. The message was clear; _I want this_.

After several unsuccessful moments spent trying to convince the hatchling this _wasn't_ what he wanted Rin loses the battle. It was almost like dealing with a young Yukio again, only Kasei was a hell of a lot more insistent than Yukio had ever been as a kid.

"Geeze, fine," an exasperated sigh made his shoulders sag, "but don't come to me when you get sick." He grabbed a piece of meat with his chopsticks. A happy trill escaped the black hatchling and he almost seemed to dance with glee, hopping from one foot to the other and shaking his head back and forth.

The beef hardly got any closer than a few inches before he snapped it up and Rin watched the slice get pummeled between growing teeth before disappearing down his throat. In a little explosion of happiness sparks and steam danced out of Kasei's nose. The hatchling pranced about on the table so much that Rin had to lift his plate to avoid it spilling.

Watching the little one have so much fun over just a little taste- he just couldn't help himself.

"Here," he said and pushed his food towards the hatchling. Pure glee made his companion seem brighter than the sun and as Rin extracted himself from the table to go and get more for himself Kasei jumped forwards. He suddenly found the little one nipping his clothing and attempting to pull him down, beak clapping. "Geeze, what?" he leant down to the little one's level.

He was most certainly not prepared for Kasei to jump up and lightly nip his nose, little pink tongue shooting out to lick the same area. As Rin sat there processing what had just happened, the black hatchling scuttled over to his bowl and began tearing through the meal. Not entirely sure what he was supposed to do about it Rin sneezed and wiped his nose. But the smile on his hatchling's face was infectious.

Leela already had a second bowl prepared for him by the time he got to the register.

* * *

><p><em>[Western Branch, BDRI- Sennyo Mountain Side]<em>

_[A few hours ahead of Rin.]_

Bon wasn't happy.

Standing in the rain with a poncho draped over his shoulders, fringe dripping, walking uphill in a dark, reality-twisting forest of freakiness was not on his to do list. The pack on his back made every muddy step a deep pit, the water was beginning to soak through his boots and fill his socks, and his stomach rumbled hungrily. Not to mention the cloud of intense I'm-actually-totally-depressed stoicism that Yukio was giving off was powerful enough to reach him all the way at the front of the line.

A light curse tumbled out of his mouth but it was smothered by the rain. In front of him Shura blew a light plume of white out of her mouth, enjoying the cold more than Bon would have thought.

Well, that's what it _looked _like. She'd been bitching about it almost as soon as they were handed this mission by one of Mephisto's goons but had stopped almost ten minutes after they'd started their crazy hike.

He'd never know what really went down in his instructor's head and while he respected her he probably never really wanted to find out.

Behind him, Konekomaru squelched along in the mud, trying not to slip and fall into his elder or topple over Shima- who also hadn't been too happy to discover the task that Mephisto had assigned them.

The goal of this endeavor seemed to involve the investigation of several strange occurrences across the mountain side. Recon missions in particular had sighted Rakshasas flitting about in the trees with baskets in their arms; filled with fruits, vegetables, and hunks of bleeding meat. Their goal was to find out what Oriens wanted to do with these materials.

Apparently feeling that the exwires weren't making fast enough progress Mephisto had temporarily booted them off the research team- which was much larger than he'd originally thought- and put on more active duty for a few days. Bon, while offended and frustrated with this, found himself hoping that someone more skilled might be able to connect a few dots and help put Orien's supposed plan together by the time they got back.

A high pitched, squeaky sneeze jolted his attention back to reality and Bon glanced wearily over his shoulder, catching sight of Shiemi miserably rubbing her nose. Behind her, Yukio didn't even seem aware of the girl's distress. He walked in a straight line like a soldier without purpose. Annoyed, the teen turned back to the trail.

"Here, Moriyama-san," Shima said, offering the girl a hankie.

"Ah! Thank you, Shima-kun," she yelped, sniffling. The next thing Bon was aware of was the blaring sound of an _elephant _blowing its nose. He was so startled and confused that he actually looked around for the source of the enormous noise.

"What the hell?" Shura demanded, whirling around at just about the same time Bon did. All eyes fell on Sheimi, who held the white cloth against her face with a blush so deep she could be compared with a beet.

"What, are you trying to wake the tree's up, too?" Izumo grumbled at her, only succeeding in making the poor girl's blush thicken.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't-" she began frantically. Realizing there was no danger Shura relaxed and combed a hand through her wet hair.

"The mountain amplified the sound," Yukio stated tonelessly.

"A-ah, Yuki-chan," Sheimi began but found herself unable to finish, upset by the cold, empty expression on his face. It wasn't too clear if Yukio had come along because he was forced to or because he hoped to gain a bit more information on this mission- likely a mixture of both. He was clear and factual, none of the heart they were used to seeing in his eyes. Konekomaru swallowed a little self-consciously and looked around, like he was trying to avoid the underlying situation.

"The trees are pretty dense here so it must have been another quirk of the mountain," he noted thoughtfully.

Kamiki scoffed and turned her head, hair almost slapping Shima in the face, "'quirk' is way too light. This place is crazy."

"Would yew lot stop complaining already?" Shura huffed, setting her hands on her hips, "Buck up, yew've trained in these woods!" That said she continued onwards, destination set for the top of the slope.

A sheepish expression came across Shima's face, a protest coming out his mouth that was muffled by the rain.

A long sigh surfaced in the air before Bon's lips and he turned his gaze to the canopy above, looking as much for answers as he was reprieve.

He was just in time to see a shadow flash through the leaves.

* * *

><p><em>On a scale of 1 to 10, do you want to know how tired I am? (1= HOLY SHIT I'M DEAD. 10= Nah, I'm wide awake.)<em>

_I am -10. _

_Next chapter should be up by_ October 31st. (Or 30th, depending on where I am on the 31st.)

_Thanks for reading!_


	59. Lost

_I'm sorry if some of this seems OOC. I've been working 57 hours a week this month so I haven't had much time to readdress the characters and go over and developments that Kuzo has made with them in the manga. I also haven't had time to read any of your reviews from last chapter so please bear with me for as long as you can. RisingSm0ke, I still have plans on writing that chapter for you but I won't get it up for Halloween as (would have been fitting) I'd planned. Thanks for being so patient with me everyone!_

_I hope this chapter, as small as it is, is worth it!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist._

-Lost-

_[Western Branch, BDRI]_

_[One week after Rin's awakening.]_

Not a second after the first shadow flitted past another followed suit, and so did another, and another, and another- until it was impossible _not _to notice them. The Rakshasas and their servants had taken the form of various different species of birds and monkeys, weaving around the heavy forest with years of grace. Unlike your typical animals, however, the Asian demons kept vibrant color tones uncharacteristic to the organisms they were trying to copy. And given the sheer number of them it wasn't hard to tell they weren't a part of this climate- or this world. From talons and chunky fingers baskets of assorted fruits, vegetables, and grains swung this way and that with bits of food occasionally falling out.

A curse flew into the air from somewhere behind Bon and the distinct sound of Yukio venomously unsheathing his pistols preceded the blasts of gunfire that soon followed.

"Shit," Shura muttered, a hand over her chest, and began to mumble her sword summoning sutra. Likewise, Izumo called her byakko out from the depths of hell and set them to work, shouting over the three chanting arias. Shiemi shared a few words with Nii-chan as her comrades fought the shape-shifting demons.

The exwires didn't get very far very fast, however.

TA cry from Shiemi, shortly followed by her familiar, announced their impeding failure shortly after the swarm poured out from the canopy above. he Rakshasas dropped their baskets into the trees and swooped down from their perches; biting, scratching, spitting- doing as much as they could to draw blood without wasting energy. Bon felt himself get thrown back into the muck, a sick squelch erupting from beneath him and mud oozing out between his fingers. Furious twittering and clicking sounded loud in his ears and after a small, chubby orangutan bounced off his chest he almost lost his breath- but he never stopped his chanting.

Now the world consisted of shouting, the smell of sulfur, the cut of talons along flesh; it was buzzing of gunfire, spells, and flashing weapons. And Bon knew they were piteously outnumbered.

Shura pivoted and cut through a red hawk, only faintly listening to its scream and seeing the creature burst into black dust. She ducked under a demon that had shifted its areal form into a leopard of some sort before lunging towards Konekomaru and blocking a screeching furry mass that had flung itself towards the unguarded aria.

Violently knocking a lemur off his leg, Shima, meanwhile, had stopped his chanting and reached for Bon. Trying not to slip around in the mud the elder teen allowed his friend to help him to his feet, nodding his thanks as he made a circle with his hands and widened his stance. His friend rejoined the battle with K'rik clutched in hand.

"Shit, where the hell did they all come from?!" he heard someone demand. But he didn't have time to wonder who it was before something hooked a finger into the back of his shirt and yanked him away. Before he knew it he was being hauled back through the bushes by something he couldn't see, dragged away from the fighting.

"Mistress!"

There was a scream followed by a large puff of smoke.

"Uchimochi!"

Bon's eyes were wide as he was torn away from the scene and observed, with a growing pit of horror in his stomach, just how terrifyingly outnumbered they were. It was hard to tell plant life apart from the masses of demons- much less spot his comrades. They were like a swarm of locusts.

In that instant as time stood still and Bon's mind struggled to find a solution that would save them, he wondered if Rin would be able to scare the hoard off with his flames. Adrenaline pumping through him, Bon twisted and slapped his hands together. A few words later and a ring of light, embellished with archaic symbols, burst out in front of the demon behind him. The pure light rebelled and pushed against the demon, throwing it off and ripping the collar of Bon's shirt. Too focused on his task to care about his already-ruined-garb the aria scrambled to his feet. Running forward he searched the crowd for familiar blue flames- probing the tornado of color for the tint he knew so well.

But then he remembered.

Rin was dead, he couldn't help them out of this.

Not a moment after this thought came crashing down on him he registered Yukio's voice, "Get down!"

Then Shura was yelling, "_Gara gara_."

Bon had only a moment to watch the gaseous gray snakes burst out of nowhere and weave through the hoard before he hit the ground, earning himself a face-full of mud. In a testament to how fast the action was delivered three simultaneous bursts from holy water grenades sounded mere milliseconds after he was greeted by the ground.

With his head down all he could see was wet earth and leaves. But the sound of unholy screaming announced the success of his instructors' plan. Braving a glance up he watched the smoldering shape shifters scramble up the trees, those with wings taking wobbly flights back to the safety of the branches above. There the Rakshasas and their servants picked up their baskets and spread out, looking like a nest of spiders had hatched and it was a race against time to get away from the hungry mother.

The group was left winded, panting, muddied, and trying to recollect themselves for a few moments in a forest that had become abruptly quiet.

"Is everyone alright?" Shura asked, glancing around at her students. Konekomaru looked around as well, letting Shima heave Bon to his feet.

"Y-yeah, it looks like it," the youngest aria reported somewhat shakily. The woman eyed the battle zone, noting their torn bags with disapproval as the exwires regrouped.

"Is anyone hurt?" Shiemi called from her kneeling position on the ground, pulling out a sheet of summoning paper and calling Nii-chan back.

A stinging sensation along the back of his neck, coupled with an odd warmth told Bon that he'd received more than a damaged shirt in the struggle he'd just endured. With a light curse he raised a hand and tenderly prodded the area with a wince. His flesh was feeling flayed and when he brought his fingers back the tips were glistening with blood.

With concern in his eyes Shima noted his friend's injury and called back, "I've got a couple of bruises but Bon's got a bloody scratch on the back of his neck." Seeing the damage to their supplies and his winded-looking comrades Bon was rather against complaining about his wound but he knew better than to argue. He wasn't so stupid as to leave the wound to get infected out here, unlike some people.

Immediately he thrust all thought of Rin Okumura out of his head and strode toward the blond girl- leaving that mess to be sorted through later.

"Alright. Sheimi, you work with Yukio to get the wounded treated. The rest of you can help salvage what's left of our resources."

"H-Hai!" the blond replied, getting to her feet and searching for their sensei. Having dished out her orders, Shura leaned down and hauled up a muddied, relatively unharmed, black backpack. Konekomaru joined her a little stiffly and Shima followed suit.

Izumo was leaning against a tree a few feet to the right of the trail, knee deep in ferns. Her face was screwed up into one of pain and Bon could see her using the old maple to keep herself standing. Noticing the fragility of her stance he changed directions, leaving Shiemi to continue her restless searching.

Wading through the ferns, boots sinking into leafy muck, he approached the frustrated tamer with a collected but subtle air of defeat. They couldn't progress like this- with half their supplies ruined and two injured the team would have to head back to the western BDRI branch.

_But at least, _he thought, _we know that whatever Oriens has planned it's going to take place on this mountain. _With the sheer number of demons they just encountered, most- if not all- of whom had been carrying something, there was no reason to believe that Oriens wasn't setting something up here. After all, there'd be no need to send such a large group out all at once just to cover one area. The Rakshasas must have finished pillaging and converged. The exwires had just stumbled across them as they were heading back to their den- or wherever they were going.

"What?" Izumo demanded when she took notice of him, trying to cover up her pained expression with one of frustration. Bon looked her up and down, noting the paleness of her face, her straining throat and clenched jaw, and the way she leaned onto the tree with her fingers gripping the bark for dear life. He knew without looking that she couldn't walk on her own.

"Don't argue," he told her, reaching out and sliding an arm over her shoulders, "come on." Her surprise was quickly replaced with a scowl but she nonetheless accepted his offer and grabbed a hold of his opposite shoulder. Bon ignored the pain that stung his neck as her soggy sleeve rubbed against his wound and took a careful step forward. As the two of them were navigating their way through the ferns and upturned earth Shiemi called out again.

"Yuki-chan?" she looked around, inspiring Bon to do the same. He searched the faces around him for the young teacher and even looked beyond their group between the thick trees, brambles, and ferns.

"Yuki-chan!" the herbalist called again.

With growing horror he and Izumo stopped, both searching for their sensei now.

"Moriyama-san?" Konekomaru looked up from his task of shoving a few glow sticks into a bag, "is something wrong?"

Distress clear on the girl's dirty face she whirled around toward the group with her fists clenched and fear glittering in her eyes.

"_Yuki-chan has disappeared!_"

-LINE

_I am hoping to get the next chapter up by _November 30th.

_I'll be sure to warn you guys if it takes longer than expected to get that chapter done. If you don't hear from me at all it probably means that I worked myself too hard and a) a friend has confiscated my computer or b)…something else. (My point is, I'll _tell _you guys if I'm going on hiatus. I won't just go quiet.)_

_Anyway, have a happy Halloween everybody! Be safe out there! _


	60. Famonic Purity

_This was fun to write but I haven't had time to correct it so please excuse any bugs you might find. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ao No Exorcist_

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><p>Famonic Purity:<p>

_[Eastern Branch]_

_[A week after Rin woke up.]_

"Well, well, Okumura-kun~" Mephisto sneered, watching his little brothers brawl beneath his hovering chair with a devious expression on his face, "Today's the limit. If you can't achieve famonic purity you can say goodbye to your chances and your friends."

He could almost hear the sound of Rin's teeth grating together as he ducked under Amaimon's fist and twisted out of the way of a kick. Rin hadn't forgotten about his deadline and Mephisto knew this. In fact, despite his mischievous expression and Cheshire smile he held a candle-flame of concern within him. If the eldest Okumura couldn't pull this off then _he'd _have to jump into the fray and put an end to things. His plans would be skewed and his tail could very well come to light.

And such an ungentlemanly gesture simply wouldn't do.

A grunt burst from Rin's lips and he was shot across the room, the sound of something tearing making Mephisto's ears twitch. Amaimon stood amongst bits of rubble, yawning and looking like he couldn't care less about the fight he was in. As their younger demon half-brother picked himself up out of the rubble, the earth demon lifted his head and called up at Mephisto.

"I'm bored, can I kill him?"

A reply was just beginning to curl off the tip of his tongue when his brother was engulfed in wrathful blue. His eyebrows lifted up to his hairline and he watched, amused, as Rin swept Amaimon off his feet.

"I'm not done with you!" Rin snarled, attacking his elder with renewed vigor.

Amaimon returned his rage with a neutral look but an annoyed tone, "You're bothering me!"

Grunting, Rin blocked the other demon's attack with his flames and dodged the fist that swept through his defenses. He ducked down and pivoted on his heel, all his focus put into the battle before him. Striking out with his left leg in attempts to topple the earth demon a growl rumbled in his throat when Amaimon jumped over it.

_Quit wriggling, you piece of shit! _He leapt up and threw a ball of flame at his opponent, heart racing with glee when it slammed straight into Amaimon's face. Blue exploded around the unprepared demon, sending him stumbling back several feet. Rin chased after him, unwilling to let his chance at the upper hand slip by.

Yukio was counting on him- his friends were counting on him! He wasn't going to let them down. Rin promised himself long ago that he would fight heaven and hell if meant keeping his little brother safe and sound. He didn't know when he had promised himself to do the same for his friends. All he knew was that if he didn't win todays fight he'd have failed them.

He sent his flames flying underneath Amaimon as he tried to compose himself, letting them slip soundlessly by before exploding into a powerful force right behind the demon. The king of Earth looked over his shoulder just in time to see his "demise" before it blew and Rin was left utterly satisfied by his scream of pain.

Looked like he'd found the right level of intensity for his flames-

The next thing he knew he was being flung back, staring forward at a bloodied, crumpled face of dark irritation surrounded by smoke and…moss?

He hit the farthest wall with such force he was left choking on a gasp. Stars burst across his vision and a staccato of noise erupted between his ears. Before he had a chance to recover he felt a firm grip latch around his ankle and he was jerked violently into the air. Blood sprayed from his wounds, steam rising from between parted skin as though it was cooling magma and Rin felt the familiar tingle of flesh sewing itself back together.

He may not be the most observant of people but even he had begun to notice the rapidness of his healing properties grow these past few days.

Amaimon said something that sounded girlish with glee but Rin was too busy trying to mentally put his skull back together to understand what it was.

And then he was sailing through the air again; watching the ports and holes, and bits of busted concrete whisk past him as though they were moving and not him. Slamming hard into the ground shoulder first and skidding along the floor he let out of shout between his teeth as he felt his shoulder pop out of its socket.

His vision was going blurry even before Amaimon plummeted into him from behind, digging his heels into the small of Rin's back with such force that muscles underneath his weird-fancy-coffee-colored boots stretched and tore. Rin was accustomed to pain and abuse but after so many days of so much torture he could feel himself beginning to slip.

The world going fuzzy, his heartbeat slowing, blood roiling and boiling in his veins yet his thoughts falling into a state of calm neutrality- Rin knew it wouldn't be long before he lost total control of himself.

For a brief moment, as Amaimon's face swam into view and he was lifted up by his neck, dangling limply by the creature's claws, he wondered if that other him would be able to protect everyone better than he.

"Wh- goi- -kill- play!" Amaimon demanded, wide, manic gaze searing into his victim's weakly lidded eyes.

Panting and spitting out blood, Rin watched his half-brother reach for his tail.

"_I'm going to tear it apart!"_

Something flashed behind his eyes and he found that he didn't know where that voice had come from. Who said that? Where…?

He heard shrieking next.

Then cackling.

He couldn't see, he couldn't feel, he was…

He was scared.

_I've lost control, _he thought from some distant part of his mind, _what's going on- who am I hurting? _

"_Nii-san!"_

Rin mentally jerked, searching the darkness around him for the source of that little, familiar voice.

"_Nii-san!" _This time it came to him as more impatient than before.

_I'm coming, _Rin tried to reply, putting the distant sound of animalistic roaring out of his mind as he searched the inky blackness, _Yukio, where are you?_

"_Right here, you baka!" _

_Where?_

"_Here!"_

And then Rin saw him and he wasn't alone.

The figure his eyes first laid upon was small and gangly and pouting. He glared at his big brother from underneath broad rimmed glasses.

"_You were fighting again, weren't you?" _The little one demanded and his elder blinked, "_Father is going to be mad!"_

"_Pf, they deserved it," _a second voice, one that was less familiar, piped up. As a scuffed up version of himself dove through his older counterpart, a sunlit street came into view. Both brothers cast long shadows in the golden light and Rin couldn't stop a small, confused smile. What memory was this one?

Yukio rolled his eyes and huffed, _"Nii-san-"_

But little Rin struck his hands to the side of his head, covering his ears and scrunching up his face, _"nah, nah, nah!" _he shouted petulantly.

His little brother's disapproving pout intensified and for a small moment Rin wondered how long it had been since his precious baby brother had held such joy in his eyes. The warm memory was briefly interrupted by the sight of an older Yukio surrounded by a raging blizzard and glaring shards of ice at his big brother.

In his anger, Yukio looked so lost…

"_No-one gets to bully my little brother without me dealing with them first!" _he was brought back by the loud declaration his younger self had made. There he stood, a fuzzy little outline in this memory mostly constructed of a shadow with his legs spread, one hand on his hip, and the other pointing at his little brother.

Yukio blinked, _"So they have to talk to you and _then _they get to beat me up?" _he asked.

Younger-Rin faltered and took a moment to reevaluate his jumbled sentence, _"What-no, huh?"_

Rin gritted his teeth as the memory began to fade. Outside he could hear the sound of gleeful laughter falling from Amaimon's lips, the shudder of concrete as things were smashed and torn as his demon-self attempted to rip the king of the earth to pieces.

He didn't want to be a demon…

But…

_I need to protect Yukio, _he thought, _and I need to protect my friends. _

A sensation Rin had never experienced before opened up in his mind, a strange power pulsating from within him. The eldest Okumura reached for it, digging through all his senses and memories until he found himself curled into the warmth that made up the familiar sensation of his flames pouring through his body.

Then he dug even deeper. He searched through the folds of his power, through the crackling energy that made his heart race knowing that was he was searching for was in here but felt so different.

When Rin found it he was mentally knocked off his feet.

It felt like sunlit grass, freshly baked pies over a coal fire, and the smell of Shiro's cigarette smoke.

It made his heart slow down and all his muscles relax. It swept every pain in his body away and at the same time filled him with static like lightning and thunder.

Before he could become accustomed to the feeling that was so much unlike what he normally felt using his flames, Rin was brought back to reality.

And yet, despite the sudden, unexpected change from the fuzzy, unfocused nonsense of his mind to the striking and vibrant reality that he existed in, Rin found he didn't totally care.

He stood on a slat of concrete torn from the opposite wall of the chamber and stuck into the other side so it formed an outcropping. Below him things were ravaged to pieces, smoke rising from pipes in the walls that had been torn out and thrown around like bludgeoning instruments. Amaimon's blood smeared across surfaces, his body steaming from every poor, limbs mangled and broken and struggling to reform.

Unlike before, Rin felt completely at ease with himself.

There was no pain.

There was no confusion.

And though he knew that all this destruction had been caused by him, he found himself relaxed.

_It doesn't matter what I have to do, _he told himself as this strange and familiar warmth rose over him, pooling at his feet, dripping off his hands, pouring down his back, _I'll protect them all. _

And, from high above it all, Mephisto sat grinning almost savagely behind a gloved hand. Rin was covered in flames that behaved both like crackling fire and magma at the same time. Unlike his other flames, these ones were amorphous and a darker hue of blue. They seemed thicker, stronger, and curled around their master.

Mephisto had been around for a long time and had seen many, _many _things.

But he'd willingly admit that he'd never observed anything more glorious or graceful or breathtaking as watching Okumura Rin reach famonic purity.

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><p><em>Wwwwwooooooooowwwwwwwwww<em>

_I hope that this turned out better than I think it did. I had fun writing it and I hope everyone is more or less in character. _

_Once again, I am so sorry for the delay everyone! _

_I'll try to get the next chapter up by: _December 31st _or _November 1st.

_Thanks so much for your continued support!_

_*Gives everyone a well-deserved hug* Honestly, you guys are actually my favorite reviewers srslywhatthefcuckIwannnahugallofyoupersonally._


	61. Side Effects

_Alright, I'm trying my best but for the next few months I'll be working from 6 am to 9:30 pm and I will have next to no time to write at all. So, for the sake of this story, I'm putting it on Hiatus until summer break. I'll be taking classes then as well but not as many so I'll have more time for it. The problem is that a lot of really complicated stuff is about to happen and I really just don't have enough time and energy to follow along with what I've written in my notes- a lot of which are speculative and theoretical possibilities so far. So I want to finish this thing this summer when I have the time to blast my way through it. Trust me, it will be better that way. If I don't do this the story will ruin._

_So here's the last chapter before another quick haitus! :') I love you guys!_

_Chapter dedicate to: Rising Sm0ke for helping me with a multitude of things including writer's block, venting frustration, and her patience. You've been asking for this one for a long time and I finally got it down! It might not be exactly what you had in mind but I hope it suffices! :)_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ao No Exorcist**

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><p>Side Effects:<p>

_[Laboratory 9- aka; Lacie]_

_[8 days after Rin woke up]_

Rin sat in his room with Kasei snuggled up beside him, hand held out and observing his flames. It was still a little hard to draw them out but he'd gotten better at keeping them around. At least he didn't have to almost die to use them anymore. He had to admit; they looked really pretty.

Reaching for the warmth and determination that he got when thinking of his friends, Rin watched the amorphous sea-deep blue flames lap lazily at his palm. They wriggled lethargically, flowing along his flesh like syrup. The more and more he stared at them the more he realized they resembled the bottom of the ocean. Little dark splotches formed a pattern across the flames like sunlight reflected the surface of the water onto the bottom of a sandy beach.

Pursing his lips he watched them for a while, in a daze.

Why was he awake again?

A soft trill warbled out of Kasei's throat a few minutes later and the distraction was all it took to put the flames out.

Sighing Rin rubbed a hand along the back of his neck and observed the growing hatchling snuggled at his leg fondly. It wouldn't be long before he was too big to fit along his shoulders at all and he would have to start flying alongside him. The eldest Okumura didn't mind too much, though, knowing the little one needed practice anyway.

He gently rubbed his fingers under Kasei's scaly jaw, eyes going distant even as a soft purr vibrated in the hatchling's throat. The eldest Okumura was too lost in his memories from yesterday.

"_Congratulations!" _Mephisto had cheered the other evening, quickly storing a raging Amaimon away as he floated down to the young exwire. _"You have officially reached famonic purity!" _A banner burst into existence behind the demon, held up by doves, and confetti flied this way and that. Panting, sweating, and struggling to keep himself on his feet Rin hadn't bothered to brush the flakes of ribbon that had fallen over him and stuck to his sweaty skin. _"You might actually be able to defeat Kronos," _the older demon had sneered, eyes narrowing devilishly.

Swallowing, Rin leaned back, tail stuck out straight and keeping him balanced, _"K-Kronos?"_

A clack had come out from under Mephisto's feet as he set himself down among the rubble, watching his young half-brother fight against exhaustion with preparedness coiled subtly in his muscles.

"_My, my, you really haven't learned anything about Kronos? It's worse than I thought!_"

Rin had chewed on the inside of his lip thoughtfully but ultimately was unable to make any verification on that one so he'd opted for giving the older a blank stare.

"_Well then,_" Mephisto leaned forward, his nose a few inches from Rin's face and his hips popped back a little, hands clasped behind him, _"You've got plenty of time to learn over the course of these next few weeks." _Eyes half-lidded, the eldest Okumura blinked slowly and tried to process this; he _didn't _have to fight Ambaggon tomorrow? Then Mephisto leaned away, twirling his umbrella in his hand, _"Really, you don't think I'd let you go gallivanting off with such new firepower? What nonsense is that?"_

At this point Rin was rubbing at his eyes, his vision getting darker and the ground beneath his feet seeming to swell. God, he was exhausted. He wanted to sleep so badly but Mephisto wasn't going to give him the chance.

"_Ambaggon is looking to summon Kronos sometime by the end of December and with no real way of stopping him, you need to be prepared for battle." _Rin started swaying, the world around him coming in and out of focus as his elder's voice got quieter,_ "You no longer need my services, I'll leave the rest of your training to Mocci-"_

_Whump._

Rin didn't remember anything after that- he couldn't even recall hitting the ground. He'd woken up sometime later in his bed at Lacie with Kasei beside him, sore from head to foot and utterly spent, confused, but at the same time satisfied. That had been a few minutes ago.

Now he sat in bed chewing on the information he'd been given. From what it sounded like Kronos was a big deal and a very faint part of him recognized the name, but from where he didn't know. As he thought it over, struggling to divide the information from the jumble of thoughts he'd acquired throughout his limited schooling, his tail flicked behind him. He knew someone had approached the door even before Mocci opened it.

"Ah, you're awake," the Irish man said, sounding surprised, "How do you feel?" He flicked on the light and Rin winced slightly, glowering at the older man.

"_Fine,_" he said shortly, "_How long have I been out?_"

He wasn't given a reply. Instead, Mocci looked at him rather oddly, suspicion and concern in his eyes, "…Rin?"

Confusion lit his own and he tilted his head to the side, "_What?_"

Now the doctor was looking straight up worried and he strode towards his patient with quick, long strides. The next thing he knew a soft hand was pressed against his forehead and brights green eyes were examining his closely.

"Is this a side effect?" Mocci muttered, almost as though to himself.

Irritated, Rin slapped his hand away, "_What the hell are you talking about?_"

Leaning away from his patient the older sighed and dipped one hand into his lab coat pocket, "Rin, I need you to say something in Japanese for me, can you do that?"

"_What? I may not be smart but I'm not _that _dumb, baka!_" he barked back. Kasei raised his head and clacked his jaws together, sensing the problem. Rin ducked under Mocci's hand as he reached for him with a small pen light in the other.

"You're movements are fluid and fast enough, you look pretty aware of yourself to me but without the right tests-" At that Rin bolted to his feet, stumbling over the sore pangs that raced up and down his legs. His expression was open with surprise, accusation, and confusion.

"_The hell?! What am I, an experiment?_"

Mocci held up his hands in a placating manner and gave a soft smile, "Well, okay, at least you can understand me- right?"

Expression dark when he suddenly recognized the fallacy he'd been fed purely for reaction's sake, Rin gave a quick nod and narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, relax," Mocci said, "If you were speaking anything other than ancient enochian right now I actually might be able to understand more than a few words coming out of your mouth. You're not making anything easy for me here, Rin." That made him pause and raise a brow, posture relaxing as Kasei scrambled to his side and almost pulled him to the floor in his attempts to reach his shoulder. "The fact that you're not even aware that you're doing it doesn't help my concern."

Blinking a few times Rin straightened and worked his tongue around his mouth like he could physically change the shape of the words before he tried to speak again, "_Is that better?_"

Amusement spread over Mochidna's face and he shook his head, "Nope, still the same. I'm willing to bet this is an unforeseen affect from reaching famonic purity, as I stated before. You've become closer to your demonic nature- though it might not feel like it- and your brain is having a difficult time working through it." He thought for a moment, looking his patient up and down, "Are you having any violent urges?"

Rin made a face at him for that one but took in a quick analysis of himself. The only 'violent urge' he had was to go back to bed, to be honest. So he shook his head and growled out a "_no_."

"Are you hungry for anything unusual?"

No.

"Do you feel weird in any areas?"

No.

"What's your thought process like?"

What?

"Okay cool, no changes there."

At that Rin blew a ball of flame out of his mouth that soared past his grinning doctor, "Alright, alright, that was uncalled for, I know. Now get over here so I can examine you properly." When his patient gave him a suspicious look and stayed where he was Mocci huffed and set his hands on his hips, "Am I going to have to sedate you to get this done?" Pursing his lips together Rin uttered a growl and approached him, scooping Kasei up and setting him back on the bed with one swift motion. "Thank you," Mocci sighed and waved for him to sit. Once he had the questions continued this time accompanied by various touches Rin wasn't terribly pleased by.

"How's your head, does anything hurt?" he asked, pressing his fingers into the sides of his patient's neck to feel his lymph nodes and frowning at whatever change he felt there. Rin grunted a negative as the older man ran his hands along the back of his head as though to search for a bump. Finding none he tapped his patient's temple, "any pain at all?" Again, Rin dismissed him. So he pressed harder, this time into both temples, and the exwire was surprised when the move caused a sharp note of pain to ring through his head. Grunting, he jolted back, pressing both palms to either side of his head and glaring at the other accusingly. Mocci's frown deepened at that and he removed the stethoscope from around his neck. "I'm going to put this under your shirt, ok?" Wary of more pain, Rin nodded his acceptance and clenched his teeth when the cold dais was pressed against his chest. He was prepared for the regular drill but was surprised when the renaissance doctor didn't ask him anything. Instead he let his patient breath normally and moved the stethoscope around his chest and back. He listened a little longer at seemingly odd places, like the far left corner of Rin's lower back and the right side of his ribcage.

Then he brought the dais up and pressed it against his neck, "say something for me?"

He paused to think and then smirked, "_You're a dick._"

Mocci yanked on his nose before moving the dais to the other side of his neck and repeating the question.

"_You asked me to say something!_" Rin defended himself, pressing his hands over his face to defend against any more attacks.

For a moment he got no reply but then his doctor was shifting and pressing the cold metal against his thyroid, "I might not be as fluent in ancient enochian as other demonologists- you having an accent doesn't help, by the way- but I can understand the basic gist of what you're saying, you little shit. Say something again."

"_Tomato head._" This time he received no abuse as Mocci leaned away, looking him up and down. Kasei wiggled his way into Rin's lap and eyed the doctor warily, pressing himself against his favorite person's chest.

"Alright, well, we don't have a whole lot of information to work with because we've never had a demon reach famonic purity here, but it looks like you've got, in layman's terms, a sort of advanced demon cold." Folding his arms across his chest he continued with a furrowed brow, "It's not too terribly surprising given everything that's happened to you recently. Your body might be healed but your brain is still having a hard time keeping up and I bet getting these new flames has switched around a few gears in your head. Without cutting you open though," Rin grimaced, "or getting a CAT scan we'll never know for sure and I don't think either of us are very eager to do the former and we don't have the equipment for the latter right now." He hung his stethoscope around his neck again and pocketed his hands. "For now, just rest. You've got the morning off, ok?"

Yawning hugely Rin nodded affirmation at that, "_sure._"

Mocci watched him navigate towards the head of the bed and wriggle in before moving towards the door, "I'll be sleeping in a room two doors down to the left if you need me."

Rin grunted, turning away and already drifting off. Looking back over his shoulder, Mocci watched Kasei slither towards the eldest Okumura like a little black snake and tuck himself under his arm as he settled in. A smile tightened across his face when he realized that his patient had already fallen asleep.

Quietly, Mocci closed the door and walked down the hall. It was already 6 am and he still wasn't in his pajamas. Images of Kronos erupting out of a pit of magma, smoke in the air, and fire raining this way and that complicated his thoughts and he swallowed thickly.

He didn't want to think about what might happen if he and Rin couldn't work this famonic purity thing out.

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><p><em>There we go! I managed to pull a little something longer than usual together, so that's nice. I'm sorry this chapter isn't as interesting as the others but it's the best that I could do.<em>

_I saw everyone's comments demanding that I take a rest and I'm overjoyed to find everyone so supportive. I honestly don't know how I managed to get readers as nice as you guys. :')_

_I look forward to picking the story up again and posting like crazy this summer. I promise you, the story will get finished! Once again, thank you so much!_

_Cheers!_


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